


The Weight of Our Wings

by GrayRose



Series: The Balance of Wings [2]
Category: Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Don't Examine This Too Closely, Fake Science, M/M, Weird Plot Shit
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-08
Updated: 2018-03-31
Packaged: 2018-07-13 01:09:36
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 47
Words: 143,666
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7131986
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GrayRose/pseuds/GrayRose
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><b>The Present:</b> Two years. Cloud was furious. Two years he had been applying to join SHINRA’s army, every time a recruiter came to Nibelheim.<br/><strong>Read <em>"Descendants of Equilibrium"</em>  first.</strong></p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Security Breach

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **A/N: This is a Sequel to Descendants of Equilibrium. There is a LOT of information in the prequel. Read it first please!**
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> 10 years have passed since D.O.E. Cloud is 14. Sephiroth is 20 and already the General. A nice long chapter.
> 
>  **Disclaimer** : I own nothing but the plot, and my writing style.

        Cloud was livid. Absolutely raging mad at the world. For two years, every time a recruiter came to Nibelheim he had applied to SHINRA. To SOLDIER. Sure he was still too young but they showed up every four months because Nibelheim residents have naturally high mako tolerance and are usually excluded from the age minimums. It was supposed to be classified, but he knew the Sephiroth was born here, practically a SOLDIER from birth. He briefly wondered if the new General had found a way to cut his hair yet. He never once came back to visit, and it hurt a bit. Cloud would never admit that though. Anyway, every single time they rejected the application with an insincere apology letter stating he unfortunately did not meet the criteria. It never said which criteria, but Cloud was positive someone in the main recruiting offices in Midgar was laughing their ass of. All because he was twenty four _millimeters_ under the height requirement.

        What he did not understand was why height mattered at all. If he ever got into SOLDIER the mako treatments would reportedly give him a minimum of three centimeters. And he was the only one who ever applied. All the other boys wanted to stay in Nibelheim, live typical backwater lives and marry their neighborhood sweethearts. Cloud had no intention of staying in the small town. The town had always had it out for him, and now they’d started noticing him at the recruiter booths, mocking him all the more knowing he, the scrawny blond twig of the town, would never make it in.

        He’d had enough though. It was that same kind of humiliation in the first place that led him to creating his darkweb identity a few years back. Given that his morals were a bit skewed he had no personal regrets about hacking into anything and everything he wanted. Soon enough that identity had become a well known name, and he had his own massive followers and a _fanclub_ to top it off, but of course, no one could ever find out about that. If the townsfolk knew they’d label him a delinquent on top of the rest of the shit he got on a daily basis. Not to mention the people and places he’d hacked into. Hell, he’d hacked information from just about everywhere except SHINRA in exchange for money to help his mother out, but everything was bounced through so many IP addresses and servers that anyone attempting to trace him would find it all but impossible. Now though, those hacking skills would be put to use in his revenge against SHINRA’s height requirements. He’d never tried before but as he sat down with his laptop, Cloud began searching for and hacking into one of the most heavily guarded networks. Yes, he was going to hack the Turks. 

        He moved to lock the door, stripped down to his boxers, pulled the overly large comforter embroidered with the name Strife around his shoulders, and set to work, nestling into the cozy environment he had made for himself inside the large, dark mansion. No one else was using it except Viva, who mostly stayed in his coffin, and his godfather had left Cloud a key, so technically the place was his.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~R~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

        The Turk office was busy as usual. A few people were out on missions, but the main crew were all buckled down and buried deep in paperwork. Tseng in his own office, Reno in his own spacious room attained when Tseng appointed him second in command. The general space was occupied by Rude, Cissnei, and a few others sitting at their desks surrounded by piles of paperwork. It was for the most part, silent. Being a weekend, most of them weren’t even supposed to be there. That never seemed to stop any of them though, too much paperwork. So when Reno noticed his files opening on their own, he started checking the system for viruses and malware. After a few frustrating moments, Rude’s shining head peeked around his door and appeared to be experiencing a similar problem. Within less than ten minutes most of the Turks still at work had popped into his office with questions, as he was currently their leading geek, not counting the paid IT people that never managed to make it to the Turk floor. He was hoping Tseng would never find out he'd threatened those idiots. When Tseng followed the last few into his office now, he dropped his search for internal causes and sprinted out of his office to the central computer room where he could work on a broader scale.         Anything getting into the Turk Director’s machine wouldn't be a simple bug, or even a basic virus. That box had more protection on it than their central databank. On a whim he checked the firewalls. His eyes widening alarmed the rest of them, and he furiously started smashing away at his keys, meanwhile sparking the others into a flurry of action. “We’re being hacked yo.” And suddenly he was alone in the glow of computers with rapidly changing screens, save for the head Turk and himself, as the others went off immediately to try and protect their own files. 

        What someone was hacking them for, he couldn’t be sure given the unlimited information stored in their servers. What bothered him more though was that anyone bothered hacking them in the first place. The first reason being that it meant someone out there had the skills and capability of revealing some of Shinra’s filthies, darkest, and most vile secrets. The second reason was that he, the primary coder and hacker in the building at the moment, couldn’t pin the invader down. Things were opening and closing so fast he couldn’t identify which files they were, and even when he did he’d get there milliseconds late. Whoever this was, they were managing to keep just a few steps ahead of him at all times. Tseng, over his shoulder, grew more concerned, though anyone observing the two wouldn’t be able to recognise that. Reno himself barely felt the tension tightening Tseng’s hand on his shoulder, but that could have been because he was utterly focused on halting the electronic invader.

        Two hours had passed, and he was still chasing. Tseng had called it in and was in the midst of arranging a meeting with President Shinra over the matter, to be held as soon as the attack was repulsed. This left Reno practically defending the entirety of the Turks electronic files on his own, seeing as how the other Turks had less knowledge of the code. He supposed it was one more thing he could thank his slum-rat days for, after he _acquired_ a laptop from an unsuspecting passerby at a rather young age. While converting to digital files meant a lot less paperwork, this kind of situation still was still not something he was overly enthusiastic about facing.

        Some time later, the activity began to slow down and he managed to start a trace. Given the technology they were provided, it shouldn’t have proved that difficult to pinpoint a physical location, but the damn signals kept bouncing all over the place, even as distant as Wutai. 

        Eventually though, the invasion slowed to the point he managed to lock down some of the more important files, though he couldn’t be certain the hacker hadn’t already gotten into them and read them, or worse, downloaded them. The last straw came though, long after Rude had filtered back in. Technologically impaired as the bald man was, he had no reason to bother with such things and took to hanging at Reno’s side. When the message flashed up to the screen, to all of the screens within the Turk floors of the SHINRA compound, they both almost instinctively diverted their eyes. The screen was HEX 00ff00, blindingly bright neon green that left the room bathed in it’s glow, not much different from the mako in the sunrise and sunset in Midgar. Muttering to himself, Reno managed to force himself to look back to the screens to read the text. It read “TO THE TURKEYS [NOTHING PERSONAL. JUST SCREWING WITH THE SOLDIER BOYS] ” in large black capital letters. He laughed, causing Rude to give him a look that said he knew his partner had finally lost his marbles. Even more so as Reno sat back in the large leather office chair and proceeded to put his feet up and cross his legs on the desk. Reno himself at this point, understood that nothing he could do would take the offender down. The only course of action was to wait until they either got what they wanted, or left without it because they couldn’t find the files. If the first possibility came to happen, he’d manage somehow to track them down by wherever the information was released or discovered, pinpoint their usual location, and go take them out. 

        And at this point there were only a few possible names running through his mind, aliases really. Some of the top hackers on the darknet that he hadn’t bothered to look into as they had never bothered Shinra before now. 

        The message was clearly a block to hide what was being opened and looked at, and the outsider had taken complete and utter dominance of the situation to the point that they just had to wait it out. Reno amused himself by assuming the hacker had put the block up because Reno had managed to make himself a nuisance.

        At four twenty in the morning, the computers surrounding Reno all began to chime. This woke him from his shallow slumber, and the last image on the screen flashed the hacker’s signature before his eyes, if only for a second. It was a dark grey cloud, with bright cerulean lightening extending not downwards from the cloud, but upwards. Reno began to mull around, and found, so far as he could tell, nothing missing. Much of it had been left spread wide open, obviously looked through and read. Yet if nothing was missing, that either meant they were looking for something to memorise, or they downloaded copies. Now though, Reno had a name. An alias but still a darknet identity he could confront. Not only was Reno the Turk’s top hacker at the moment, he followed numerous other hacker pages on the sub-layers of the internet for tips and tricks and hints. He wasn’t the only one either, he knew First Class Genesis Rhapsodos dabbled in the art as well, though that fiery man was in it purely for the joy of being a fan, of watching the people being hacked squirm. If he was as avid a fan Reno believed him to be, Rhapsodos no doubt had already been notified by St0rmCl0ud’s personal fanclub. The person’s followers were smart enough to figure out when the user was active again. If Reno did have to put the guy down to keep Shinra off Turk backs, it would be a heavy loss to the hacking community indeed. A vague notion popped into his head, but he pushed it to the back of his mind. The hacker would no doubt reject any offers from Shinra. Nevertheless, he set about his job and began hunting down odds and ends. It appeared, as it so happened, that St0rmCl0ud had even left a personal message for him buried in a few of the files. Which of course meant he knew exactly who Reno was now, and all about his online identity. Oh, how fun it would be to watch this all play out. At the moment however, the attack had ceased, showed no signs of returning, and seemed to have accomplished whatever goal it had been set out to do. He could do nothing until they found evidence or developed a theory as to what any stolen information was to be used for, and set off in search of Tseng to inform him as much. He couldn’t help as a slight grin played up on one side of his face. Rude, noticing the hazardous expression, groaned quietly, and followed the redhead into Tseng’s office.

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~X~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

        Tseng, as they entered, gave them a dark look before returning his attention to the hysterically screaming voice on the other end of the PHS he was holding a few inches from his ear. He waved them into the spare chairs in front of his desk, features schooled into an unreadable mask, as per usual. Rude said nothing and chose to remain standing, hands clasped in front. Reno on the other hand, let out an audible sigh and toppled into one of the chairs, legs over one armrest, back against the other and leaned sideways into the back of the chair. The white, partially open shirt allowed the cool air of Tseng’s office to touch his skin, and calm him at an exponential rate. 

        Though he couldn’t see it, Reno’s utterly comfortable position had Rude shifting rather _uncomfortably,_ and so the larger man turned to study a suddenly fascinating painting while the light blush crept off his face.

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~T~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

        As Shinra’s shrieking and howling slowed down, Tseng chanced another look at the redheaded young computer genius, and assumed the security breach had either been halted, finished, or there was nothing the former slum-rat could possibly do to stop it, else he would still be hammering away on a keyboard and not relaxing in an extremely attractive and adorable position in the chair across from him. He banished the thought as soon as it entered, setting it aside for later consideration. Returning focus to the PHS he muttered “Understood sir, it will be dealt with accordingly. An update as well, the invasion has ceased.” He listened for a moment more. “Your concern is understandable. A full report will be available as soon as this is concluded. I have something to attend to at the moment, goodbye.” He finished as he hung up. Turks typically dealt with the younger, vice president Shinra, Rufus, but in strenuous times such as this the man in power himself pestered them. In all reality, they only did Ronald Shinra’s bidding because it would not reflect well on Rufus if they ever failed. Only a matter of time before the elder man died, with a high probability that the death would not be of natural cause. The Turks were not the only ones dissatisfied with him. He’d heard the SOLDIER General was annoyed with him as well.  
        Pinching the bridge of his nose to quell the maturing headache this whole affair was giving him, he pocketed his PHS and returned his attention to Reno and Rude, noting Rude’s sudden interest in his painting, dilated pupils, and barely masked tension. Perhaps they should talk later on. 

        “Reno, update.” he commanded, watching as the redhead only turned his head to look at him rather than sitting up properly or standing. While it was almost blatant disrespect, that was more of an issue with SOLDIER. He allowed all of his Turks their informalities if they chose, and viewed them as close family. He would never outright call them that, because with the way things were now any of them could pursue a relationship with another. Not so if they thought of each other as siblings. Often in Tseng’s own case, they all considered him an honorary parent. He pulled out of his private musings when Reno answered a moment later, and silently scolded himself for losing focus. At this rate he had no _choice_ but to speak with someone, his limited emotions were beginning to get the better of him.

        “Sorry Bossman, no clue what’s been looked at or taken, or where the culprit is. Know who he is tho yo.” He looked tired, usual because Reno never managed to get enough sleep. The redhead would never give his age, and no amount of researching had provided the information. Tseng suspected Reno to be the youngest member of the Turks… He shook his head. Distractions like this should not be disrupting him right now. Rude’s eyebrows were raised, and he immediately stilled. While his face remained impassive, the fact that he had shaken his head was enough to show this had all gone too far. He really needed to talk to someone. Setting that aside with an air of finality, he observed Reno once more. “You have identified the responsible party?”  
        “Nnn, sorta. Just an alias and online identity yo.” Reno shrugged. “Left his signature, n’ a personal message for me.” He swiveled in the chair and tucked his feet up, sitting with his legs crossed. He pulled his ponytail around over his left shoulder. “Have ta’ wait for results a’fore I can track ‘im.”  
        Tseng took a moment, quickly deciphering and analysing what Reno said. “Results?” the word came out like a question.  
        “What they do with the info yo. They keep it to themselves we can’t do shit.”  
        Tseng groaned. Taking a deep breath, he stilled his mind before replying. “So we must wait to deliver consequence rather than act to prevent the leak.” Reno nodded. This time, Tseng was the one to sigh, knowing how much of a hassle this was. At the uncharacteristic sound, Reno gave him a curious look, before darting out of the room. Rude looked startled, having not seen any sign or indication that Reno was going to leave. He seemed unsure of what to do with himself, either remain in Tseng’s office, or hunt his partner down. He settled for the first option, and eyed Tseng through his sunglasses.

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~RU~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

        Taking another moment to think, Rude shifted slightly before half sitting on one of the chairs. Truly, he was sitting on the back of the chair, one leg bent and resting on the seat cushion, the other on the outside of the armrest and stopped on the floor. With no telling when Reno would decide to return, if he would at all, he settled in for the long hall. For some reason, he had the notion in his head that Tseng, as weirdly as it sounds, needed someone to talk to. Not about business, but about his personal troubles. About Tseng. This was almost unheard of, but not entirely, and Rude had stepped into this position on more than one occasion. He might seem cold and calculating, but Rude prided himself on being one of the more caring Turks, at least more caring for the other Turks, no one else. Either way, he considered himself a solid shoulder. Some would choose to lean on it, others would use it to cry on. The latter he wasn’t entirely comfortable with, but the cryers were generally the females. Tseng, would no doubt rather be shot than caught crying, and he felt it did not seem that serious of an issue to begin with, so he was confident the boss just needed to talk. Unfortunately, neither of them initiated conversations unless Tseng was giving orders, so they stayed in silence for a time.  


        After a few minutes, Tseng gave in to his need for letting out some thoughts, and moved to close and lock the soundproof door. No sense in letting Reno come back and listen in. When he returned to his desk, he took a long look at the grains on the wood before sitting slowly into his chair with yet another sigh. There seemed to be a lot of those today. When Tseng next looked up, he stared straight at Rude, wondering where to begin, how to describe what he was experiencing. Rude, knowing the internal conflict Tseng was going through, took the opportunity to remove his sunglasses. People always took it as a sign they had his utmost attention and that he was unconditionally serious. He quietly cleared his throat and waited for the Wutai man.  


        When another few minutes flew by, he was beginning to question how serious this was. Usually, Tseng just had the need to express resentment at being a cold hearted killer, that he wanted to feel remorse for the people he killed, but found that he never really cared about them. The only people he did care about were his Turks, and that was a feeling he desperately clung to, why it was so hard when they lost one. While Rude was a patient person, Reno might get bored with whatever he was doing and, upon finding the locked door would later pester him with questions as to what the two were talking about, or doing. The kid could find innuendos in everything, so this chat had to get a move on.  
        “Category?” He asked, it was silent recognition of the fact they both understood this would be a direct conversation.  
        “Relationships.” Tseng followed. Rude furrowed his brow, this being a topic Tseng usually kept quiet about.  
        “Romantic, sexual, friendly?” he continued. There was a pause. A long pause. He broke it by interrupting Tseng’s thoughts. “Turk, SOLDIER, superior, or civilian?” That prompted a faster answer.  
        “Turk.”  
        The conversation continued on for some time, short answers for the most part.  
        “Confused?”  
        “...Yes.”  
        “Sexually or romantically?”  
        “...Unclear.”  
        “Difficult?” At that, Tseng gave him a pointed look. Sighing, he offered a grunted sympathy. “Similar situation.” They continued for the better part of an hour.

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~R~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

        Tseng had seemed distracted. Really distracted, for a guy who never shows emotions. At the moment, Reno found himself in the Turk Lounge making a cup of Wutai blend coffee. Actually, he had pulled two cups out without realising it, so he assumed his subconscious had determined that Tseng needed some. It would probably be cold by the time he returned to the boss’ office, but it was caffeine nonetheless. Having stayed up to block the hacker, Reno had been awake for a total of four days. He needed coffee too. Moving to pour it, he thought more on the possible identities of the hacker. It could be some dirty old fart with the intent to blackmail Shinra, or some middle aged moron who thought he could get away with it. Maybe someone doing it just to prove they can. Either way, it was probable that Shinra Bossman would send Tseng to take care of the problem when they located the person, and Reno would be sent with him because of his tech skills. Why that mattered when taking someone out, he hadn’t a clue.  


        With a steaming cup in each hand, he returned to Tseng’s office, only to find the door locked, and closed. Rude was nowhere to be seen, so they were probably having one of their little ‘talks’ again. Guess he was a better Turk than they gave him credit for, because so far Tseng hadn’t noticed the listening device he installed during his first week as a full Turk. On a whim though, he decided not to use it today. Most of the time those two just talked about feelings they had after killing people. Same old, same old. Not like killing was a big deal. In the slums it was kill or be killed, so Reno had no reservations.  
        For the mean time, he occupied himself by sitting with his back against the door, and playing Mazecraze on his PHS, occasionally sipping from alternate cups of coffee.

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~A~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

        As Cloud’s mother, and the only person he trusted aside from the Turk in the coffin, she knew he’d been spending time in the mansion again. Long hours, locked away doing who knows what. He was a teenager though, so she let it slide. This week though, he’d ransacked her kitchen and taken off to hole himself up inside. More importantly, he’d taken his laptop and some other equipment, and she knew what it meant.  
In the past few years, there had been unexplainable deposits into their bank accounts at random times. No one knew where it came from, and the bankers never cared as long as she remained their customer so no questions were asked. She knew it though, that it was Cloud’s doing. He himself had been receiving some odd deposits, and been ordering computer equipment from Midgar. Some of it she recognised, other bits were foreign. The first time she had confronted him about it he shrugged and went on his merry way. The second time she asked if the money was stolen, so he explained. It was not stolen, but it wasn’t very legal either. He would take an odd job favour for someone over the internet and they would compensate for his efforts.  


        This week, however, was different from the other times. Given the supplies missing from her cupboards, and the embroidered comforter from his bed, it seemed he planned to be up there a while, undoubtedly up to no good. He was safe though, that was the important thing. The townspeople never went into the mansion, and the children feared the wild rumors spread about it after SHINRA Inc. abandoned it. The only thing left in there were books, the professor’s notes, and of course the Turk who never left his coffin. He was no threat, she knew. Cloud had often played in there when he was younger, while she helped clean the place up and feed the professor. If anything, Alma believed the man would protect Cloud if an emergency were to arise. The place was still in good order, and all the doors had been locked to keep the critters from settling in just incase SHINRA returned. Moving to rip the sheets from Clouds bed to put in the laundry, she let her thoughts drift away to days in the past, when the mansion was still bustling with energy and life, when the lights were on and people enjoyed her company. 

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~C~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

        It was getting colder in the study, so he assumed night had come. The bottom of his laptop was warm in his lap, and the comforter provided enough insulation that it did not bother him much. He wasn’t actually using his laptop at the moment. There were random videos playing that were supposed to be funny, he needed the background noise and the alibi. Instead he was using the ancient dustbox of a desktop computer on the desk in front of him, since he had fixed it up a few months back. Ten percent of the money from the occasional hacking job was split between he and his mother. No point in putting it all in there and letting people get suspicious. The rest had gone to an anonymous account that he used to fund his own activities.  
        

At the moment, the left monitor was displaying a file of video clips following an auburn haired SOLDIER commander. The monitor above the actual computer screen contained Sero, now the General, leading SHINRA’s armies, and the monitor to the right had files on the other SOLDIER commander. The desktop’s screen was filled by an editing program in which he was in the process of clipping and stitching various video files dragged over from the three spare monitors.  
     

   Cloud wasn’t really sure what he was doing, but it entertained him nonetheless to see the auburn haired man threatening some new Third Class SOLDIERS. He’d already gone through and moved all videos with intercourse in them to a file buried in the desktop. None of that was interesting, or even funny. Rather, it was disgusting. Either way, he’d spent most of the week sifting and sorting the surveillance videos and putting together a basic plot. Today was the day he started putting it all together, which was exhausting. Deciding he needed a break, Cloud pushed against the desk, sending his wheeled chair reeling backwards on the dark hardwood floorboards. Hitting the opposite wall, he set his own laptop down and gathered his comforter about him. Stepping down from his chair, he grabbed a package of crackers and made his way to the basement and into the laboratory floors beneath the mansion. It was dark enough he couldn’t see anything, but having practically grown up in the place he was well aware of the layout. It was to a room hidden in the far end of a hall that he made his way, pushing the door open lightly to reveal the various coffins. Opening the one nearest Vincent’s, he climbed over the edge and settled in, leaving the lid open for air, and opened the crackers.

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~V~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

_**The boy is here again.**_ Chaos thought, beginning to wake his host. _**With those crackers you like.**_  


        Vincent was awake almost immediately, hearing the rustle of thin plastic wrapping. The cracker wrapping. Cloud was here, then, taking a break from whatever work he was doing upstairs. Sometimes it occurred to him that teaching the boy to hack was not as good an idea as it had seemed, but it kept him coming to visit the mansion, and subsequently to visit Vincent himself. Not that he wanted the company, he had to repent for- _**Oh cut it out.**_ Chaos interrupted his thoughts. _**You appreciate his company, and his crackers. .**_  
         _How many times to I have to tell you,_ Vincent responded, _that my thoughts are not for you to listen to?_ He felt Chaos chuckle within him.          _ **It matters not the number of times. Unfortunately for both of us, I am in your head.**_ He felt the WEAPON shrug, and let out an audible sigh. The rustling stopped, and in a few moments the lid to his coffin creaked open. The figure above him winced at the horrid noises coming from the hinges, before turning cerulean blue eyes upon him, blond spikes bobbing gently.  
        

It had been this way for many years, with Cloud occasionally popping in to chat. It was the one joy he allowed himself in this self-imposed life of death. Sitting up slowly, he held out a hand for the crackers, and felt one of the chocolate biscuits pressed into it.  
        “It’s nice to see you moving Viva.” The boy said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **A/N** : Ahhhh. This chapter is a little choppy, sorry. Mazecraze is my favourite old Atari game, if you were wondering. Next up, the Turks head to Nibelheim! Pleeease review, anything at all. Questions and ideas are welcome!


	2. St0rmCl0ud's Latest Venture

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two years. Cloud was furious. Two years he had been applying to join SHINRA’s army, every time a recruiter came to Nibelheim.  
> Over the weekend the Turks experience a security breach, and a week later Turk headquarters are disrupted by the laughter of a noisy redhead, after having found a video posted by one of the most notorious hackers on the darknet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **A/N:** This chapter is all in Midgar with the Turks (+ a little Genesis.)
> 
>  **Disclaimer:** I own nothing but the plot, and my writing style.

Still working at midnight on a Monday was not how he imagined this going, but at last his search brought something to his attention. When Turk security was breached Saturday night he alone was given the task of hunting the invader down, which he knew was nearly impossible. If it weren’t for the hacker’s personal message at the end of the attack he’d never have had a chance. Now though, after sorting and sifting through code for hours upon hours, he had ventured on to the SHINRA network to make an attempt at contacting St0rmCl0ud. Singing into his hacker profile, he surfed until the correct page came up, and was surprised to find not only recent notices from St0rmCl0ud’s fanclub, but activity from the hacker themself. 

Most of the notices contained mocking text, humorous comments that referenced some the SOLDIER First Class. Others were giving congratulations on the successful hacking. None seemed to give any specific answers though, so he applied a simple filter that removed the fanclub comments. Yes, Reno was a member. It was a _sometimes_ valuable source of information. _St0rmCl0ud is probably in my own fanclub for the same reason,_ Reno mused. Brushing the thoughts aside, he continued to scan through the more pertinent information, which led him to a clearly new web page. A chat box to the side was continuously adding text as other users posted comments, most of them at the expense of _SFCs,_ which he assumed meant SOLDIERS First Class. The center of the page contained a video. The only other feature on the page was text, just above the video, that read _“For the offence of persistent rejection, SOLDIERS atone by the spark of laughter on the net, and throughout the world.”_

In the next moment, Reno plugged his earbuds in, began the video, and could not help but laugh. His laugh only continued to grow in length and volume, sides and facial muscles aching with the constant tension. Not even the ridiculing looks from other Turks he could see beyond his office door were quelling his amusement.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~T~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hearing the redhead’s laughter next door, Tseng decided to let it pass. It was very rare to hear Reno laugh so fully, not the usual dry chuckle. When it extended beyond the first ten minutes however, the sound began grating on his nerves. What on Gaia could the teen be doing over there?

Setting his files aside, he unlocked his office door and stepped into the common area, where Rude and Cissnei were currently working. Or trying to work. Clearly Reno was proving to be rather difficult to ignore. _Which is why I came out here in the first place,_ Tseng reminded himself. Pinching the bridge of his nose he turned to the door next to his. Wide open. Reno at least ought to have closed the door if he knew he was going to be loud. Then again, he was supposed to be working on the hacking case. Stepping into the doorway, he paused to observe the redhead before interrupting, clearing his throat to catch Reno’s attention.

“Reno.... Stop using SHINRA tech to access your filthy porn.” He deadpanned. Probably the closest thing to a joke he had ever made.  
Within seconds he found himself leaning over Reno’s shoulder, his chest against the younger Turk’s back. So caught off guard by the sudden relocation of his person, he tried to stand, only to be pulled down once more by the tie grasped firmly in the redhead’s hand, over his right shoulder. Clearly his reflexes were in need of conditioning, and Reno’s likewise needed a change. With as fast as everything had moved in those brief seconds he was transported from the door to the desk, they had been heavily underestimating Reno’s skills. Tseng coughed briefly, before realising that Reno was still laughing. 

There was a video on the screen, and an earbud was unceremoniously pulled out of Reno’s ear and lifted behind him in offering to Tseng, which he promptly placed in one ear. A few moments passed by as Tseng was absorbed in watching the video. A quick glance at the lower portion of the frame revealed it to be roughly an hour long. They were only thirty minutes in. Oh, he could feel the headache coming on swiftly now, no doubt with a mound of paperwork to follow soon. On the screen was a clearly choppy, homemade video of the top three First Class. Their daily interactions, their squabbles and duels. Various conversations had been pieced together and made very little sense to him, though Reno was finding some humour in it. When General said something about roasting, and Commander Hewley screamed duck, Tseng pulled his earbud out and stared at the screen. Suddenly he understood that Reno was in fact still working on the case, because these were not videos anyone should have access to. These were footage taken straight from Turk Surveillance, from SHINRA’s hidden archives. Leaning further to push Reno’s intercom, he asked Cissnei to bring in two cups of tea. “Painkillers would not hurt at the moment either, if you would.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~G~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

At roughly the same point in time, another member of St0rmCl0ud’s fanclub received several notices. Having been out on a mission in the middle of nowhere, Commander Rhapsodos had been out of PHS range and only now was flooded with information. While he wasn’t much of hacker, he knew enough at least to find it funny watching people struggle against the professionals. St0rmCl0ud in particular made him curious, as the only hacker who never gave out any personal information. No one even knew how to contact the person behind that alias. Except of course, someone in the fanclub. The always knew when St0rmCl0ud was active, and any commissions were handled by the club members. One of those members had to be in contact. They’d also collectively decided the hacker was male...Shaking his head, Genesis refocused on the flood of notifications on his PHS as he neared Midgar.

 **GeneralNoticeBoard:** **St0rmCl0ud** IS NOW ACTIVE.  
**St0rmzAng3l:** OMG he’s online! Who’s he after?!!  <3  
**ChopperDysk:** Just in, it’s SHINRA INC.  
**St0rmzAng3l:** How do u know?  
**ChopperDysk:** Check the clubmail, duh  
**St0rmzAng3l:** Gaia how did I miss that? *headsmash*  
**St0rmNight:** Miss what?  
**ChopperDysk:** He’s on. After SHINRA  
**St0rmNight:** Holy shit, is he nutz? They’ll send the Turks!! (@_@)  
**StratusCloud:** Maybe, but they’ll never catch him.  
…  
They continued on, bantering back and forth as more users logged in to the chat page. For a time they continued speculations, until it picked up frenzy two days later.

 **ChopperDysk:** ….But he’s mine!  
**CirrusSpike:** LIKE HELL he is, I called him FIRST!  
**CumulusFluff:** Settle down girls, we don’t even know he’s a guy. What if it’s a chick? Or an old wrinkly bald guy?  
**GeneralNoticeBoard:** BY COMMUNAL VOTE **CUMULUSFLUFF** IS NOW BANNED  
**St0rmSpringzL0ver:** Not nice guys, Fluff meant no offence.  
**Cl0udzAlumni:** Ya, we need the numbers guys  
**GeneralNoticeBoard:** BY SENIOR MEMBER VOTE **CUMULUSFLUFF** IS UNBANNED  
**dARKsT0RM:** Not kul Lumni, not kul  
…  
**St0rmsSecretSexSlave:** Guys guys he posted! I just got-  
**GeneralNoticeBoard: St0rmCl0ud** HAS SPOKEN.  
**St0rmsSecrestSexSlave:** -the video link!

And then the messages exploded. Genesis could not hold in his laughter. The puny thirds on the transport chopper with him stared in horror as he doubled over, overbalancing and landing on the floor. All while continuing to read the notes on his PHS. The comments were hilarious, ranging from lusty slurs and ownership claims over St0rmCl0ud if the Turks didn’t kill him, to comments directly towards General Sephiroth, Commander Hewley, and Genesis himself. Abruptly sitting up, he began to type a comment with a grin on his face that had the SOLDIER Thirds squeezing against eachother to be further away. It was the same grin he used when throwing fire at them, or torturing them with Loveless. It was the grin Genesis Rhapsodos wore when he was truly enjoying himself. And oh was he having fun now.

 **AuburnAngel:** Signal isn’t good enough right now to play the vid. Gaia I can’t wait to see it. Infinite in mystery is the gift of our St0rm.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~X~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

For the better part of an hour, every Turk in the office had been huddled around Reno’s desk, staring at his screen. Some in abject horror at the level of security the hacker managed to break, others attempting to mask the smiles from forming on their faces. Rude, of course, kept up his usual emotionless mask, a feat Tseng commended him on. He himself had cracked a slight grin once or twice while watching the video St0rmCl0ud released, and the comments in the chat next to it.

Reno had all but cheered when the name **AuburnAngel** popped up in the chat, responding within seconds and starting a flurry of conversation with the first line he typed.  
**F0#iTayl:** Damn, too bad I have to take him out now. Almost back Angel?

 **ChopperDysk:** ….Wat  
**CirrusSpike:** The HELL Fox?  
**CumulusFluff:** BAN FOX HE’S A FUCKING TURK  
**St0rmBr3ath3r:** HOW DARE YOU THREATEN STORM  
**AuburnAngel:** Why yes, as a matter of fact we just landed, _Turk._  
**ClearSky:** @AuburnAngel: How u know Fox is Turk?  
**GeneralNoticeBoard:** BY COMMUNAL VOTE **F0#iTayl** IS NOW BANNED  
**FyreSt0rmSky:** Lol, prob solved.  
**GeneralNoticeBoard:** BY SYSTEM OVERRIDE **F0#iTayl** IS UNBANNED  
**DrinkingRainDrops:** WHAT THE HELL  
**MopEater:** Does that mean St0rmCl0ud wants him here?!  
**ClearSky:** That’s never happened before but Angel you never answered.  
**CumulusFluff:** What if _Fox_ is St0rmCl0ud and is just fucking with us?  
**St0rmSpringzL0ver:** No way. he wouldn’t do that  
**F0#iTayl:** I swear I’m not him. But I am a Turk  
**AuburnAngel:** Should you be saying that?  
**St0rmzAng3l:** @AuburnAngel: You never answered the question  
**ChopperDysk:** Auburn spill the beanz  
**CumulusFluff:** @Fo#iTayl: PLEASE DON KILL ME IM SORRY  
**F0#iTayl:** All cool yo. But I still have to track St0rmCl0ud down.  
**CumulusFluff:** NO DONT  
**St0rmBr3ath3r:** Please don’t  
**ClearSky:** His death might start a rebellion against SHINRA...  
**FyreSt0rmSky:** I won’t let you kill him  
**DrinkingRainDrops:** You’re dead Turk  
**MopEater:** “track him down”, not kill him?  
**ClearSky:** @MopEater: good point. Fox?  
**CumulusFluff:** DON DOOO IIIIT  
**St0rmSpringzL0ver:** @AuburnAngel: ??  
**AuburnAngel:** Fox, hire him. He is a gift of the goddess  
**AuburnAngel:** Also I am SOLDIER  
**ClearSky:** ...  
**CumulusFluff:** WHAT!!?? WHO, OROVE IT  
**CumulusFluff:** *PROVE IT  
**St0rmSpringzL0ver:** Lol, Fluff that rage typo tho  
.  
.  
.  
..  
Even Rude cracked a smile towards the end of that exchange, before blinking as Reno shot past everyone and headed for the stairs.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~G~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As the helicopter blades began slowing, Genesis could see a red blur streaking past the roof guards. Clearly they had much to discuss. A moment later the roof door was thrown open and the majority of the Turks on base piled through, frantically looking around for their youngest member. It was fairly clear he had some information he wasn’t sharing, or forgot to explain some crucial detail. Being only 3 years older than the boy, they got along fairly well, so he now found Reno seeking shelter behind him. One glance over his shoulder revealed the younger redhead blinking in excitement. Hearing a sigh from Tseng, he returned his focus to the small crowd of Turks.

“I take it you conveniently _forgot_ to mention your new alias to the proper authorities, **AuburnAngel.** ” 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~X~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

After a post mission visit to Hollander, Genesis made for the Turk floors. Within three or four hours they had watched the video once more for his benefit, and the two redheads settled down to search it for clues. After the messages left during the hack, Reno could only assume there was one left in the video as well, and Genesis concurred. 

What they managed to find, after intensely scrutinising the choppy clips, were a collection of jumbled letters. With Tseng’s input they discovered, it was not ciphered at all. It was the name of the town with Mako Reactor 00. Nibelheim. The place where Professor Creepshow Hojo had made his debut as an accomplished SHINRA Scientist. That news sent shivers down Turk and SOLDIER spines alike.

An hour later, a briefing with President Shinra settled the course of action. Genesis, just returned from a lengthy mission, was staying in Midgar, much to the commander’s dismay. He consoled himself by thinking someone still ought to brief Angeal on the situation. Plus Genesis wanted to watch the other commander’s reaction to the video. Sephiroth’s would be even better, but he wasn’t back from Wutai yet.

Tseng, on the other hand, was being sent to the isolated northern town. He was to apprehend or remove the responsible party, and erase any stolen information he could find. Reno as well was being sent, primarily because Tseng had no aptitude with computer technology and might not know how to destroy the information properly. 

Nevertheless, all within the early hours of Tuesday morning, a single chopper took off from the roof of the SHINRA tower, headed towards the small mountain town of Nibelheim where a blond teen awaited their arrival.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **A/N:** Writing the chat scenes was a pain in the ass so I hope you enjoyed them. Can you guess which one is Kunsel? XD
> 
>  **ALSO:** Hojo's first name comes up next chapter! Should it be _Nykulos_ or _Rindan_?


	3. A Crazy Little Place

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two years. Cloud was furious. Two years he had been applying to join SHINRA’s army, every time a recruiter came to Nibelheim.  
> Over the weekend the Turks experience a security breach, and a week later Turk headquarters are disrupted by the laughter of a noisy redhead, after having found a video posted by one of the most notorious hackers on the darknet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **A/N:** Because I switch POV often I change the letter in the line breaks to match whose POV we’re in. Yes, these things: **~~~H~~~**  
>  If it’s an **~~X~~** that means it’s general narration and not in one character’s head.
> 
>  **Disclaimer:** I own nothing but the plot, and my writing style.

Fourteen hours. Fourteen fucking hours Reno had been flying the damn helicopter while Tseng processed paperwork in the copilot seat. What in the name of Gaia made someone build a town so far from… well, everything? He asked himself.

They had set down in a cleared forest area near the town, but far enough to hide the sound of the rotor blades. No point in alerting the hacker to their presence, if the suspect was even here. While the message had been fairly clear, it made no guarantee that St0rmCl0ud would be in Nibelheim. Nevertheless, where Shinra sends Turks, Turks must go.

Within minutes the chill from the wind had seeped through his rumpled suit while Tseng checked over the supplies in the back to make sure nothing would freeze. _If there isn’t a warm bed in this place I’m going to kill one of the villagers and take theirs,_ Reno thought. Seeing motion from the chopper windows, he straightened a bit as Tseng made to climb out, pausing to be sure of his footing. Coming to Reno’s side they made towards the inn, or rather the bar on it’s first floor where they might learn valuable information and eat something warm to ward off the chill. It was closing on eight in the evening, and the open stares from the villagers did not feel particularly friendly. With a few minor flirts at the owner, Reno secured a room and led Tseng to it. Apparently there were other visitors in the crazy little place and only one room available, and at the moment he didn’t feel like shooting anyone. _Too many witnesses,_ Reno grinned.

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~T~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

Tseng had not been focusing enough, that much was clear. Before he realised the conversation had ever happened, Reno had dealt with the inn’s owner and tugged him towards a room. A single room. With one bed.  
It was a wonder Veld had left him command of the Turks. He should not be this off guard, so unfocused. _Since when has Reno become my vulnerability?_ He silently asked himself. Unfortunately as Turk Commander he would never be given enough time off and away from the others to sort his thoughts out.  
For what seemed like a long while, he debated whether or not to take the uncomfortable looking chair in the corner. It would leave his neck stiff in the morning, but the alternative…. He looked once more towards Reno, who was unceremoniously stripping his shirt off and slipping under the thick covers.

“Yo, Boss, what’s the hold up? Gonna freeze your skinny ass off over there.” The redhead spoke. Seeing the outlet for what it was, Tseng cleared his throat and accepted the offer, setting his bags down and pulling a few weapons off. Those he set on the nightstand before removing his shoes and likewise sliding under the blankets, though he kept the rest of his clothing on. Facing the wall, rather than the younger Turk, he ran through the situation in his head. In moments he could hear soft, deep breathing as the teen next to him relaxed into sleep and at that moment, Tseng knew he could not turn around. Reno was much too young, much too tempting. And they both slept with too many weapons. No, if he turned to face the sleeping teen it would not end well, for either of them. _Emotions and attachments are messy in the life of a Turk,_ he murmured before dozing off himself.

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~T~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

Wednesday, the following morning, found Tseng in much the same position he fell asleep in, but the same could not be said of Reno. The teen was curled up against his back, still breathing deeply, one hand fisted in the material of Tseng’s shirt. With one eye open, Tseng glanced about, noting the locations of the weapons not still concealed on him, and the various furniture in the room. All seemed the same as it had been in the night, and he was almost content to close his eye. _Almost,_ but less so as he focused on the empty chair against the wall where his laptop should be.

Seeing no reason to rouse the younger Turk yet, he slid towards the edge of the bed. Reaching a hand up behind his back he managed to dislodge Reno’s thin fingers and pull away into a standing position. Wherever his laptop had gone, it wouldn’t be far, he knew. No one in the files on Nibelheim was supposed to have the skills needed to break into it anyway, as heavily encrypted as it is. Nevertheless, he turned to find his shoes, he would still have to find--  
Tseng paused, staring at the flat corner sticking out of Reno’s crossed arms.

The teen looked content and well rested. The muscles normally stretched taut across his face were relaxed, and the image was almost peaceful. _How young are you truly?_ Tseng pondered once more, for in his file Reno was listed as 19 years old. None of the Turks believed it, but had never managed to prove otherwise in the thirteen months Reno had been a Turk. Shinra did not care, SOLDIER ignored him, but Tseng strongly believed Reno was much younger than he let on. It was apparent in his cheeky grins and inappropriate innuendos all day long, and more so in the full cheeks surrounding his face.

 _But he is not an innocent child._ Tseng reminded himself as he once more took note of his laptop clutched in the sleeping Turk’s arms. Reno was a full Turk, trained and armed. He needed very little combat training in his first months, the focus was primarily on discipline, to keep him following orders and away from SHINRA’s fancy technologies. And now he had Tseng’s laptop.

Sighing, he sat on the bed once more and reached out to wake the teen, only to find his bleary green eyes open and watching him. Careful, calculating, suspicious. Seconds passed and those emotions swirling in emerald depths shifted into clarity, understanding, trust. Yes trust, one of the most dangerous emotions for a Turk to hold. The two stared for a minute before Reno’s arms twitched and brought his own focus to the machine held in them. A brief glance back at Tseng had him looking sheepish as he handed it back, before he shifted and began searching for his shirt.  
“Gonna find some food or somethin’ yo.” Reno muttered, before departing and heading down to the bar.

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~R~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

By the time Reno managed to con the inn owner out of a healthy breakfast, he knew Tseng would have discovered his use of the laptop. Reno wasn't used to sleeping a full night and so had spent the early hours digging through possible leads. He'd found immediately that Nibelheim had two networks, one of which was an extension of SHINRA’s and hardly had signal. It was a wonder they natives could even call each other’s houses! The other however, was clearly no such thing.  
The second network was private, and undoubtedly had its own signal tower near by. It had several bars worth of reception on his PHS. Feeling restless just laying in bed with Tseng, he'd sponged up some time by wandering out the window and off the roof to ground level. Once down, Reno had let his PHS guide the way, moving towards the stronger signal. By the time he had full bars, he looked up to find himself in front of large cast iron gates, behind which a mansion stood. It was some distance from town.

Having been out of the inn for quite a while, he only then felt the chill. Odd because he still hadn't been wearing a shirt. _Gaia what would the townspeople think if they saw me?_ He wondered. It was nearing morning now and while the Nibelheimers would not wake until the sun came up, Tseng would wake up in a few hours. In the meantime he made his way back to the inn and climbed the gutter drainage pipe back up to the second floor. It wouldn't be any use wandering around in the mansion without knowing the layout, so he pulled Tseng’s laptop off the chair and onto his side of the bed, a soft glow from the man's Wutaian background painting illuminating his face.

It was some spark of thought that lead to him accessing the second network, or attempting to. None of the encryption removal tools were getting him past the account based login, which was clearly set up to only let certain people with the right words and codes in. Resorting to random guesses had not improved the situation either, until he ran out of ideas and his tired brain supplied his fan club account information. At first he disregarded the notion, too ridiculous. But it left a stark reminder of the ban removal from the chat the previous day. The chat system had passed an override on communal vote. So the system was aware of him. That meant the administrator was aware of him, which could be the hacker, and had purposefully allowed him to remain on the net page. If the setup from the network here in Nibelheim was the same hacker…. Reno entered his fan login.

The next hour saw the youngest Turk exploring the depth of St0rmCl0ud’s network, for he knew that was what it was. He could not access the majority of it but upon logging in he had been given a prompt to check his fanclub mail, and found a not so subtle welcome letter. It provided an archive link to what, for all intents and purposes, appeared to be the mansion blueprints and floor plan. There was definitely more to this hacker than he had hoped for, and Rhapsodos’ words came back to him.

 _Perhaps hiring the invasive hacker was not as ludicrous as it first sounded,_ Reno thought, and eventually drifted off to sleep with the laptop in his arms. The blueprints, he knew, he had left on the screen for Tseng to find in the morning.

In any case, by the time Reno returned to the room with food, Tseng was glaring at him. _Okay, so maybe hacking into the Turk Commander’s laptop isn’t the brightest thing to do._ He thought, glancing down at the floor. It was quiet for a bit, before Tseng broke the silence and relieved the tension.  
“So, what have you found?”

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~X~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

It had taken Reno the better part of an hour to explain the whole thing, about the network and the mansion. Purposely avoiding mention of how he logged _into_ said network, he concluded with the blueprints which Tseng had found. They had no guarantee the documents were accurate, but it was all they had. They were also verified old SHINRA documents, and the mansion was apparently under Hojo’s name. All the more reason to get inside and have a look around.

The townspeople were up and about by the time Tseng had eaten and they made it down the stairs. No one paid them much attention, focusing instead on early morning drinks and coffee. Clearly Nibelheim was a place of heavy drinking, given the nature of some of those drinks.

Making their way to the mansion, Reno retraced his steps from the previous evening. The route was fairly clear and it was evident there used to be a road leading to the gates. Now it was overgrown with low groundcover, with what seemed like a small animal path worn down by frequent travel. The gates once more stood in front, tall, dark, and rather imposing. A lock was present, no doubt to keep wandering villagers out, but both Turks were familiar with lock picking. He’d of thought the thing rusted beyond use, but as it was the lock tumbled silently to hang from one side as they slipped through. The gate was also silent, indicating rudimentary maintenance at the very least. If it had not opened since Hojo arrived in Midgar, it ought to have creaked or groaned when opening. These were among several other signs they noted that told the mansion was not as empty as the files had implied.

Similarly the front door opened without effort, swinging inward after a few seconds of working the keyhole. And what an entrance they found. Rich colours and lavish decorative rugs, a chandelier hanging above the center. They knew from the exterior appearance that the place was huge, but at this point it felt borderline _massive._ Halls extended both left and right, more than one on each side. The main room they stepped into continued forward before stepping down two steps into a larger, more spacious room with plenty of natural lighting. More so every second as the sun continued to rise.

It was in the growing light that they walked, scouted, scoured the rooms and halls for any evidence that supported the hacker’s presence here, and it was nearing midday before they found any sign of life. The place was void of personal items, nothing that left any impression, but as Tseng had discovered, there were two rooms in particular that had seen recent use. A small bedroom at the end of a corridor on the second floor, and an office down the hall. Or rather a room that used to be an office. Truth be told Tseng had very little idea what most of the equipment inside even was, but Reno about exploded in excitement at the first sight. He’d pulled a roll of orange tape out of a pocket somewhere and had begun sticking pieces to various machines, muttering about _high end_ and _expensive shit._ Tseng got the impression that this all but confirmed the hacker was frequenting the place, and found himself rather amused at the younger Turk’s attempts to unplug and steal some of the machines and smaller equipment.

As they shifted things aside and discovered more and more devices and tools, the occasional scribbled piece of writing, they found the center. It was more of a nest, truly, hidden in the back of the room. With an opening large enough to walk through, they entered a circle of monitors that stretched to the ceiling. The first three feet from the floor was filled with actual computers and data storage banks, some with disks and others with hard drives, or flash drives. A massive leather bound chair was centered in the middle with three keyboards surrounding it, left right and center, and what appeared to be a king sized comforter was nestled in the chair, twisted and piled up in a circle with a dent where someone might have sat. Reno had moved on, spinning to and fro to look at the various pieces of machinery, marking more with the orange tape. Tseng could only assume that meant they’d be coming back to take it all, after the hacker was dealt with. Which they had to get on with. They were expected to return to Midgar within the next day or two because the President wanted his weekend to be uninterrupted.

Within a few more minutes, they’d carefully turned over everything they could move and found nothing. Feeling distraught over the lack of leads, Reno slid behind the keyboards and slumped in the chair. He could have curled up and gone to sleep right then, it was so comfortable. Someone had spent a ridiculously large amount of money on all the equipment, and apparently still had enough to purchase what had to be the most comfortable chair in the world.  
“Tseng,” Reno started, “If we have to kill him, I get his chair yo.” And with he shifted to settle into the padding, pulling up the comforter to bury himself in it only to pause and consider the thing. “Who the hell can afford a fuck’n _king sized chocobo down comforter_ Tseng?”

But the Turk Commander only heard a low mumbling as he stared at the recently exposed sections of the cream blanket, for there in the folds was a word, embroidered in sky blue thread. Not a word, he re-evaluated, but a name. _STRIFE._

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~A~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

Meanwhile on the far edge of town, in a small building closest to the mansion, Ayira lay awake on her bed. Wide awake. She knew something was going to happen today, she could feel it. What it was, she had no idea but she knew damn well it was Cloud’s fault.  
Rising from her comfortable mattress, she began her morning routine. _Whatever he’s gotten himself into,_ she thought, _I’d better make sure he gets some food in him before dealing with it._ Sighing, she remembered when he was younger, and never brought trouble back to the house. Well, except for the wolf cubs. That had been a problem for the neighbors. When the mother Nibel Wolf arrived, she’s all but scared the living daylights out of Mrs. Lyna. The wolf had been closer to the size of a bear than a wolf, but Cloud, her little three year old RainCloud had gone right up to it and begun petting the thing, hugging it even. She’d licked him a few times before calling her pups to her, and allowing Cloud to climb onto her back, before trotting off into the woods.

While the town had thought he’d die within the hour, she knew the wolf meant no harm. The wolf was of nature, of Gaia, and Ayira Strife had long ago learned to place her trust in the planet. Hojo too, with the discoveries he made back then, had come to realise much the same thing. The boy would wander off and come back riding a wolf, or worse a dragon.

In the years Rindan Hojo still lived in the mansion, he hadn’t been so bad. At some level, she wondered if it had to do with Sephiroth’s absence. Cloud had silently cried for several days after the other child left, and closed himself off even further after that. Now he did not interact with the townspeople. He rarely said more than a hundred words to her each day. He also forgot to eat, sometimes for more than a day. He’d wander back from the mansion or Gaia knows where and eat everything in sight. _Speaking of food,_ she reminded herself, _Better get on that before he wakes up._  
With a sigh, she pulled out the pancake mix and set to work.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **A/N:** _Gaia_ I love you guys. I was terrified of posting the start of this story, and can’t believe how much attention this has gotten. So excited!!
> 
> So I’ve had a few guesses about Kunsel’s fanclub name. Problem is if I keep answering it will spoil it for new readers so we’ll have to find a way around that. Any ideas?


	4. Tifa is Twelve

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two years. Cloud was furious. Two years he had been applying to join SHINRA’s army, every time a recruiter came to Nibelheim.  
> Over the weekend the Turks experience a security breach, and a week later Turk headquarters are disrupted by the laughter of a noisy redhead, after having found a video posted by one of the most notorious hackers on the darknet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **A/N:** Knock knock. Who’s there? Obviously it’s SHINRA’s Department of Administrative Research.  
>  …. Sorry, that was bad. \\[^v^]/
> 
>  **Disclaimer:** I own nothing but the plot, and my writing style.

It did not take long for them to locate the place. Mayor Lockhart had come out to greet them, answer any questions they might have about his _wonderful_ little town. They hadn’t asked much, only the location of the Strife residence. Though the man invited both Turks to dine with him and his daughter, they declined. “We must be on our way shortly after this is taken care of. The President is awaiting our reports,” Tseng had enforced the idea. It was true, though not as pressing. It was still Wednesday. They did take him up on the offer of a guide to the Strife house, though, in the form of his daughter Tifa. 

As they neared the small two story house though, Reno wondered if that had been a mistake. Soon as they were out of her father’s sight the twelve year old began pestering them with questions, clearly having no sense of self preservation. Tseng had twitched for his weapons on more than one occasion.

“What do you need Ayira for? Did she do something bad?” the girl demanded. Upon receiving no response she continued, “They don’t have any money, if that’s what you’re after. Even their house was built by the town. She came here a few years before I was born but, um, I have some weird… memories…” she trailed off, only to bring the topic right back once more. “My mom used to take me over there to listen to her story, about the anjels and demons. She told that one a lot. She even told Omylia a secret about it but she and I aren’t on speaking terms so she won’t tell me what it is. Omylia’s the baker’s daughter if you didn’t know, she’s a few years older than me…..” _Good Gaia the girl can talk,_ Reno thought, turning to see a similarly pained expression on Tseng’s face. He wished he could tape her mouth shut but Tseng wouldn’t approve. That, and Tifa was clearly a gossip girl. She might not have hard facts but it was still a source of information. It was along those lines of reason that he prompted her to continue with the line “What happened with the baker’s daughter?” as they neared a small grey house on the edge of town.

“Uuugh, why do you have to bring that up?” She groaned. Just as the younger Turk was about to clarify, she cut him off, her voice picking up speed.  
“Okay so, after my mom died I was a little unstable and there’s this story about how when people die they go to the other side of the mountains, right? Well I was like six, and I’m twelve now by the way, but back then I was four, so I didn’t understand what death was and wanted to go over the mountains and be with mom. 

Omylia was going to come with me but chickened out halfway up the hill when one of the dragons roared nearby, and like, she ran home but Cloud was out with Nykulos, one of the big Nibel Wolves, and they came across Omylia while she was running away. She didn’t know about Nykulos because only Ayira and I know about him so she got even more scared. Cloud still got the story from her and came to find me though, which was good because I was going across that _stupid bridge._ They keep rebuilding it to get to the reactor but it just breaks when anyone uses it. Anyways, so he found me half way across and right as he got there it broke. I was falling and he actually _jumped off the edge_ to try and catch my hand, but the ice broke and we both fell-

“How does Miss Omylia fit into all of this?” Tseng asked, now listening as they stood outside Ayira Strife’s house, or at least that’s the name they assumed based on Tifa’s ramblings.

“It’s rude to interrupt a girl you know, when she’s talking! And I’m getting there but you have to hear the whole story first!” Tseng nodded. “Right, so… Ah! Yeah, we were falling and got too far apart but I don’t really remember much after that because I hit my head and was in a coma for a while. But that jerk, Omylia told everyone Cloud had a wolf and it was going to eat me so the whole village came looking, you know because I’m a Lockhart, but they found us at the bottom and just assumed it was Cloud’s fault! Even when I woke up they didn’t believe me because I’d hit my head and they all blamed Cloud. He broke his leg trying to save me! And besides if it weren’t for Nykulos I would have frozen to death. He found a different way down and was laying next to me when the townspeople came and they scared him off but seriously! 

Anyway, it’s been like six years and they still don’t like Cloud. The other boys bully him so he hangs out in the mountains all the time. They’re too afraid to go up there because of the Nibel Wolves and dragons but those never bother Cloud. They like him. So I’m not talking to Omylia because she still thinks it was Cloud’s fault and it wasn’t. Cloud is the only boy I actually like here because he isn’t macho or tough. He’s really nice and gives me chocolate from Wutai on my birthday every year. All the other boys give me are marriage proposals, since legal age is 14 here and I only have two years before then. As if I would ever marry one of them. I want _out_ of Nibelheim, this place is too small for me!” She raised her voice at the end.  
Seeing they were at Ayira’s place, Tifa nodded and mentioned “Don’t step on her flowers please, I helped her plant those.” Before running off toward home.

When she was out of earshot, Reno turned to face the house and asked “How can she talked so much without breathing?”  
Tseng, who had no answer, instead voiced his own question that had been floating around his head while Tifa chattered. “Who the hell is Cloud?”

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~X~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

Several minutes later, the two Turks had recomposed themselves after Tifa’s onslaught of babbling. Most of it was irrelevant, and they had puzzled over the references to wolves and dragons that _liked_ someone. In fact they had begun to wonder if Cloud was an imaginary friend. After all, who in their right mind would name their kid _Cloud_?

Nevertheless, as they stepped towards the house, they were careful not to tread on flowers. There were large circular stones forming the short path up to the front porch, and there they placed their feet. In moments Tseng had knocked on the door, and then they waited. As he was about to knock once more, Reno caught his arm. Sure enough the two could hear a slight shuffling noise as someone made their way closer.

Both were still caught off guard, though, when the door opened slightly to reveal a short, blond haired, blue eyed woman looking at them curiously. Northern people usually had darker hair, and eyes for that matter. Blue eyes were also a rarity these days, so the combination was striking as always. Regaining his composure once more, Tseng spoke. “Would you happen to be Strife?” She nodded. With a sigh Tseng pulled a pair of handcuffs out of a pocket somewhere, which Reno had never managed to find, and reached to pull the woman’s hands behind her back. He’d almost got the second cuff on before she realised what was happening and let out a sigh of her own, looking the Turks up and down. “I knew he was up to no good disappearing for hours like that.” Tseng paused. **“Clooooooouuuuuuud _STRIFE_ get your tiny rump down here, you’ve a lot to answer for!”** she yelled.

After hearing several thumps and what sounded like a yelp, a head of spiky, platinum gold hear popped out of the open second story window. Following the hair were stunning blue eyes, cold and somewhat crystalline, which widened slightly at the sight of the two Turks on the porch. What surprised them more was the recognition that hit after a moment, and the appearance of a calculated, cautious sentiment reflected in those eyes. The boy turned, shoved the window open a bit more, and pulled himself out onto the roof. The tiles there were worn and smoother than the rest, so they assumed this was a familiar perch. As the blonde sat down, dangling his legs over the gutter edge, he smirked.  
“Foxy.” A nod to Reno. “Tseng.”

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~X~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

After the initial shock wore off, Tseng released the woman from his cuffs. It was clear to him that she wasn’t the responsible party. No, that role would go to the young, presumably teen aged individual sitting on the roof. Reno, finding humour in Tseng handcuffing an innocent housewife, chuckled quietly.

Seeing Tseng’s straight, supposedly emotionless face, Cloud dropped the smirk and mentally frowned. From all the reports he’d read, the man was supposed to have an unreadable face, but at the moment it wasn’t hard at all. Those eyes, his dark eyes were so expressive! And they were starting to look frustrated. Not good. He didn’t want angry Turks taking his mother hostage.  
        “Don’t be mad. Tea?” he offered  
There was silence for a moment.  
The next one to speak, surprisingly, was Ayira.  
        “RainCloud dear, I think I left some pancakes on the stove!”

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~R~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

After Cloud’s head had disappeared back into the window, Reno made a start for the interior of the house. No telling if that was a code, or if the boy would try to run out the back. He could hear Tseng and Ms. Strife speaking, entering behind him at a much slower pace.

Much to his pleasure Reno did find the boy still in the house, hovering over the stove with a spatula. A whiff of sweet pancakes and vanilla in the air had him relaxing slightly. The kid wouldn’t run. Though, he suspected they weren’t many years apart so calling him kid wouldn’t work well. Either way, there seemed to be no flight risk as he watched the blond flip the last few pancakes onto a plate at his side, turn the stove off, and start cleaning things up. Speaking of clean, the house looked and felt about as tidy as Tseng’s apartment. He’d only been there twice, once when Tseng caught him in the slums, and a second time when he was too drunk or high, _still can’t remember which,_ to do anything and the Commander had locked him inside. Both times, the place was spotless. Squeaky clean counters, beautiful hardwood floors, damn impressive. The Strife residence was no different.

Now that he had slowed down to look, everything had a place. The furniture looked locally made but comfortable, the counters were polished petrified wood. Tseng and the woman had taken seats at a square breakfast table that might be apple wood. Looking past the table to the open layout of a small living room, he caught a glimpse of large windows and a leather corner couch, nestled next to the base of a staircase. Each step in the staircase was lined with books, like they’d staggered a bookshelf to step on. The whole place was bloody beautiful.

But beautiful was often expensive, he reminded himself. And money had to come from somewhere. Based on what Tifa had said, she hadn’t been inside in quite some time, and Ayira either didn’t have a job, or had one that didn’t pay much. The money then, was either inherited or collected by other means. _And hacking does pay so well,_ Reno recalled from his last few years as a slum-rat. Business was business.

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~X~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

Nothing was said while Cloud cleaned the kitchen up. There was no simple way to start the conversations they needed to have. When the teen sat down with a bowl of fresh pear slices and gave himself a plate of pancakes, he offered the remainders to Reno. Never one to waste food, Reno obliged by pouring syrup over them and digging in. 

When he’d finally finished eating, washing it all down with a glass of milk, Cloud felt the need to give things a push and get the talk started, so he opened with “I’d assume by now you need to call in for orders?” Tseng looked at him and blinked. “Taking out a 14 year old will not help the company’s public relations.” he shrugged. Reno sputtered briefly on his own glass of milk. Fourteen was pretty young to be a top level hacker. Reno had been younger but never been infamous all over the net.  
        Pinching the bridge of his nose, Tseng responded “No. It would not. Though it appears you are both unliked and unknown in much of your hometown, very few would miss you.” A dry chuckle. Tseng found himself being stared at, the hints of a smirk once again sliding up on the right side of Cloud’s face. Oh yes, this boy had brains.  
        “Well then, either gonna have’ta lock ‘im up somewhere or… maybe bring ‘im in.” Reno added. At this Ayira was glaring at her own son, not liking the direction this was headed.  
        “You little rat... do want out of here so badly? I can understand the applications but this?” It was clear from her voice she had known more for some time. There was no anger behind it, in fact she had a small smirk of her own in place. Fine, she would help him win this game. Out of the corner of her eye, Ayira could see Reno’s confusion. Tseng’s was masked, but compared to Cloud he was an easier read. Refocusing on her son, she continued.  
        “How many times did it take before you came up with this little plot, RainCloud? How many applications did SOLDIER reject? _Be honest._ ” The boy held up a hand, all five fingers splayed out. The recruitment officers were here three times a year. He wasn’t going to wait then. Turning to the taller Turk, Tseng she believed, she let her shoulders sag slightly. If working for SHINRA was what he wanted, Ayira would help him get there. Besides, if he ever did get in, she’d make sure he saw Rindan first. The Professor would be able to explain everything to him better than she could. Rindan Hojo alone knew the science behind Cloud’s situation, and Cloud liked science. He’d been up reading Rindan’s journals and notes in the mansion library since a young age, and seemed to understand the majority of it.  
        “Sorry for any trouble he’s caused. He’s just so determined to work for SHINRA and meet up with an old friend of his, you see.” Cloud bristled at this Shooting her a brief glare.  
        “You say any _trouble._ You are aware of his recent activity then? Hacking the _Turks_ of all places?” Tseng responded.  
        “Oh yes, I know. I wasn’t sure who it was this time until you showed up here. And I’m sure this is exactly what he intended to happen as well.”  
        At this, Reno piped up again, having following the conversation and carefully observing Cloud’s reactions. “Intended, as in the notes you left?” He directed at the other teen, who nodded in response.  
        “Bloody hell RainClould,” Ayira muttered under her breath. “Must I do _all_ the explaining?” Turning to face Cloud now, her speech remained directed at the Turks. “He’s been applying to SOLDIER for two years dammit, and they’ve not once accepted him! If he’s going to work for SHINRA he might as well be in a unit where his skills are actually _used._ So yes he hacked the Turks, and yes he wanted you here, because he wants to _join_ the Turks. SOLDIER clearly doesn’t value him and apparently your firewalls are chocobo shit- Excuse me, I mean they could use some work. So call whoever the hell is in charge and get on with it already!” She took a deep breath, preparing to continue. 

Tseng held up a hand and stalled her though, pulling out his PHS and motioning Reno to stay put. He wasn’t sure what to make of either of the Strifes, but at this point a call to headquarters couldn’t hurt. The boy’s skills were indeed too valuable to let slide, and if SOLDIER hadn’t bothered now, Tseng would never let Cloud’s talent go to waste outside of the Turks. Or in a jail cell, seeing as how that was the only alternative. He cleared his mind of personal opinions and focused on the facts he had. They still had to verify Cloud was the hacker, but it was clear enough to both himself and to Reno that the found who they came for. This he thought as he heard the PHS ringing on the other end of the line, and in a seconds the heavy voice of President Ronald Shinra picked up and answered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **A/N:** Based on feedback from all you awesome people, I plan to update every three or four days. :)
> 
> This was supposed to be a short scene while they find the house, but then Tifa came along and decided to ruin my chapter plans and it became a whole chapter.


	5. Contracts and Conditions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two years. Cloud was furious. Two years he had been applying to join SHINRA’s army, every time a recruiter came to Nibelheim.  
> Over the weekend the Turks experience a security breach, and a week later Turk headquarters are disrupted by the laughter of a noisy redhead, after having found a video posted by one of the most notorious hackers on the darknet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **A/N:** So… Long chapter. About 7k words. 
> 
> I have no beta so if you see any errors and the like, please point them out.  
> Gotta catch em all. XD
> 
>  **Disclaimer:** I own nothing but the plot, and my writing style.

It had taken Tseng the better part of twenty minutes to finish the PHS call with President Shinra. The man simply couldn’t understand the situation over such distance, but had conceded that Tseng would do what was in the company’s best interests.  
Reno, after determining the Strifes were no flight risk, had popped his head out of the front door to check on the Commander just as he was snapping shut his PHS. Watching one of the older Turk’s eyebrows twitch was enough to tell him they’d have some explaining to do when they returned to Midgar with Cloud. _Actually,_ the redhead thought, _Tseng looks like he could use some reassurance._

Stepping through the door and closing it behind him, he motioned for Tseng to stop and talk before they re-entered the house. It wouldn’t do to have the Turk Commander second guessing himself halfway through the ride home, or when the other Turks pressed for information back at headquarters.  
        “You know it’s the right thing to do Tseng. I’m the best coder we’ve got n’ he creamed me on my own turf.” a pause. ”I’ve been re-formatting and writing new security sequences since the day you brought me in, and he floated over them without triggering any alarms.” As he pressed on, Tseng’s face got progressively darker at the implications of just how _skilled_ Cloud Strife truly was. “He was in our archives and we only knew because things were opening on their own. Not even the firewalls caught him because _he deactivated them._ That kind of skill can’t be taught, and can’t be wasted. Better to have it working for us than against us. We need him Tseng, the company needs him. Yes, he’s only fourteen but it’s the only realistic option.” Reno finished, seeing his boss come to terms and relax into the idea. As a final touch he added “I mean, kid’s too fuckin’ innocent to kill people but for internal shit and paperwork, not t’ mention havin’ a pretty face around ‘sides ‘Lena will be nice, yeah?” Tseng chuckled dryly. It was clear Reno believed this was in the best interest of all involved. And the kid had done everything with the intention of luring the Turks out to get himself hired. There was still his training to be considered, and a number of other things, but for now it seemed the choice was not a choice at all. The Turks were gaining a new member.  
“Registration papers are in the briefcase inside the helicopter.” He offered. “Retrieve them while I speak to Strife.”

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~T~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

Back inside, Tseng sat down at the table once more. Ayira Strife had not moved from her seat and was resting her head on her arms, which were crossed on the table in front of her. The boy, Cloud, had continued moving about the kitchen, washing dishes and otherwise tidying up the house. Movements that indicated he probably understood he would not be here long. As the boy moved to leave the room, Tseng’s muscles twitched as he prepared to stand up and go after him should he try to run. Somehow Cloud sensed his unease, and turned to face him before moving through the house. “Screwdriver. Cupboard door loose.”

Moments later Cloud was out of the room, and much to his surprise Tseng heard… Nothing. No footsteps, no banging as the tool was searched for. It was silent. He had finally stood up to look for the boy when the blond returned and headed toward the cupboards, opening a few and tightening a number of screws. By the time Reno returned with the registration papers, which Tseng always kept a copy of on hand in case he found a promising recruit, Cloud had moved on to cleaning the inside of the windows after scrubbing a few spots on the floor and cleaning the interior of the fridge. He’d almost snorted when he’d thought _the boy could easily be **my** roommate._ For he’d never met anyone with the same sanitary, orderly standards he kept in his own apartment. But he hadn’t been looking for a roommate.  
        “Sorry ‘bout the holdup everyone, chopper doors were frozen shut.” The younger Turk let out as he took his own seat at the table once more. “Got all the papers right here.”  
        Setting down the cleaning supplies, Cloud moved to pick the rather large stack of papers up and began carefully reading through the contract. _Smart boy,_ Tseng’s lip twitched. Reno, he remembered, had not even bothered to read his contract before signing. Then again, Reno had grown up in Midgar and knew that SHINRA was pretty much all your life or death. While Cloud might have some idea, taking the time to read and fully understand the contract was imperative. No doubt there would be a few changes to it before he signed. Cloud wouldn’t be sent on assassination missions, he agreed with Reno on that at least. Fourteen was still an impressionable age and letting someone so young…. It was against Tseng’s beliefs, to say the least. Another five minutes passed in silence before the boy finally looked up. _Must have an impressive reading speed._  
        “Anything you have a problem with?” Tseng opened, thinking there ought to be quite a few things. To his surprise though, Cloud had already determined exactly what he wanted to change.  
        “3 conditions.” the boy spoke softly, sparing a comforting glance at his mother.  
        “Aren’t really in a position to be arguing yo…” Reno trailed off, waiting for the boy to respond.  
        “Untrue. Could choose death instead.” There was an audible pause as everyone in the room sucked in a breath.         Everyone except Cloud, that is. The determination on his face left little room for dissuasion. Seeing preventable conflict, Tseng interrupted the staring match going on between Reno and Cloud.  
        “If they are within reason, the company will see to proper adjustments in the contract. Speak your mind.”  
        “One, payed in full,” he paused as Reno snorted out _“no shit yo! Turks’r paid better ‘n SOLDIER-boys.”_ Tseng shot him a look before Cloud continued. “Two, no kill orders,” again the two Turks had expected as much. A fourteen year old ought not to have to murder people, even though it happened all the time. In this case the boy’s innocence was still intact though, and they would try to preserve it. Tseng nodded.  
        “Three, breakfast with Rhapsodos.” Reno choked briefly. Even Tseng was caught by surprise at this request. The idea the boy might hold some form of hero worship for First Class was unsurprising but it would have been less surprising if he’d asked for the General. Very few people would ask for Commander Rhapsodos because he was known for his temper. And lighting SOLDIER cadets on fire. _Nevertheless,_ Tseng considered the conditions for a moment and makes a judgement call, _the kid’s talent will be well worth it. He could have asked for a million dollars and I’d have payed it out of pocket it Shinra refused._

Taking a few more seconds to come up with possible ramifications, he concluded they would never outweigh the benefits of hiring him, and motioned for the boy to slide the contract files his way. Once he’d written the conditions in, Cloud snatched the pages up once more and read the added script, making a brief humming noise as if still considering it a choice. _Well,_ Tseng reminded himself, _for him it still **is** a choice. _He refocused to see Cloud carefully signing each highlighted space and dating the appropriate lines. It took close to two minutes to make it through all of the forms, but eventually he handed them back to the Turk Commander and took a deep breath. Startling him a bit, Tseng found a new light in the boy’s crystal eyes. They were filled with hope, with excitement, with _mischievousness,_ he thought. Oh he knew this child would be a direct cause of many headaches yet to come. But again, it was more than worth it.  
        After reviewing the contract to be certain everything was in order, Tseng stuffed the papers into his suit, which had a pocket lining designed to hold documents and keep them crisp and fresh, he stood to his full height and offered a hand to the newest, part-time member of the Turks. The first, and probably the only, individual to ever hold such a position. __

__“The Turks welcome the addition of your skills to the company as a Part Time employee. Note that as you are not a full Turk, this is not a lifelong contract. Under certain circumstances the contract can be terminated but your continued assistance in aiding the SHINRA company is required and as such you must remain in close proximity to a Turk or other high level employee at all times unless within the specified and secure locations. In case of contract termination you are under no circumstances to challenge the security and safety of SHINRA and it’s department extensions again.” He took a breath. “If you would back your bags, we leave before dawn tomorrow.” Cloud nodded. That had gone _far simpler_ than he had anticipated on the way to Nibelheim. Tseng could see a similarly relieved expression on Reno’s face beside him, and they both watched as the boy made for the stairs to gather whatever belongings he wanted to bring to what essentially was his new home, in Midgar. _Still have to arrange housing,_ Tseng reminded himself, looking at Reno now. Of all the Turks, only Reno and Rude still had apartments to themselves. Every else officially roomed with their partners. Of course Tseng himself lived in his own apartment in the SHINRA tower, but as Turk Commander he was under no pressure to share his space. _Oh the advantages of being in charge,_ he spoke in his mind, watching as Reno moved to follow Cloud upstairs. __

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~R~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

After the contract was finally signed, Reno couldn’t wait to get to know the kid. _Cloud,_ he reminded himself. Calling him _kid_ just wasn’t going to work. Following the soft noises coming from one of the closed doors on the second floor, he swung it open to Cloud’s room and entered, thinking he’d help pack. When Reno himself had moved to the Plate he didn’t own much, but Cloud probably…. His thoughts trailed off and he whistled upon seeing Cloud’s room. The first thing he noticed of course, was the computer equipment. Much like the nest in the mansion, half of the room was a shell of monitors and hardcore machines. He could imagine the blond playing video games here when he wasn’t hacking. There were four different sets of high quality headphones hanging on pegs on one wall, and a number of differently styled keyboards filling a bookshelf next to those. It was a computer geek’s dream room, he decided, moving to take a seat in the same chair as in the mansion. Gaia were they comfortable. He spun around in it to observe the rest of the room. 

One wall contained a grayscale, frosted winter forest mural. The others were painted warm gray. Hardwood floors, with a wet stain on them that made each individual woodgrain stand out, and a matching coffee table that doubled as a small study desk. This was set in front of what appeared to be a white, leather, futon couch, and there was a twin sized bed in one corner. The wall to his right was lined with bookshelves and small drawers, loaded in various technology on one half and clothing on the other, closer to the bed. He began to let out another low whistle in amazement, only to be hit in the back of the head by something. Spinning around to find the attacker, he froze when he found Cloud standing feet behind him, staring at him with a barely noticeable frown. 

“Hurts ears.” Cloud said, before turning back to bury himself in his tech nest. It took a moment for Reno to make sense of what the other had said, and where he’d come from that Reno hadn’t noticed. As the boy slid further into the pile however, he could see an exposed portion of the floor where a few boards had been lifted out, through which Cloud was going. About to whistle once more, in sheer awe of the depth of thought and expense put into this room, Cloud’s head popped back up.         Only his hair and eyes were visible above the floorboards, but Reno immediately felt the glare. Oh how he felt it.          _This boy,_ he thought, _has a stare to rival Sephiroth._ In fact, it was almost creepy. As Cloud spoke once more, he changed his mind. _Scratch that, his stare **is** creepy. Really creepy._  
        “Hurts. Ears.” the blond emphasised before darting back down through the hole in the floor. Pausing in confusion, Reno moved to peer down the hole before figuring it out. _What the hell could be hurting his ears-_ his thoughts jumped to supply the answer. _My whistling? Is that what he means? Good Gaia, if his hearing is this sensitive already I can’t imagine what mako would do to him._

Deciding that he didn’t want to think on it any further, Reno looked down into the hole. Or, what he thought had been a hole. As it turned out, the space was only three, maybe four feet deep. But it wasn’t a small space, he realised as he pulled himself over the edge and hung his head upside down to glance around. It was actually a crawl space between floors. There were lights spread at equal intervals on support posts, and the floor surface looked like polished cement. Unusual building method, he supposed, but then again Nibelheim was a small country town in the middle of nowhere. They probably build things differently than other places. Either way, the space was clearly in use. There were yet more computers down here, all blinking various lights at him. It appeared to be a hardware stash, with pieces and spare wires, network cables and three different routers from different companies. Among all of this, farther towards one side, he could see stacks and shelves of unconnected disc drives being used as disc storage, data storage compartments, strings of thumbdrives tied together through holes in their protective cases. 

Somewhere behind him he heard a soft sigh, and turned to see Cloud sitting with his legs tucked underneath him in a circle of other data storage methods. He suspected the boy knew he was here, so he wasted no time in dropping down into the crawl space and making his way towards the blond.  
        “Impressive setup you got here kid.” He swore silently, reminding himself not to call Cloud a kid. Without looking at him, Cloud responded.  
        “Started young.”  
_Well, that was more information than I was hoping for._ Reno thought sarcastically. Seeing as they would have to work together in the near future, he decided to pry a bit more, find out what he could about Cloud Strife, because as of the moment, he knew next to nothing about the fourteen year old known more commonly by the name St0rmCl0ud. _I wonder how the fanclub would react if they found out he’s fourteen._ He smirked at the idea.  
        “So, how much of this do we get to bring to midgar yo?” 

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~A~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

Downstairs, the conversation had taken a much more straightforward approach. A soon as Reno had been up the stairs, Ayira turned to Tseng and stared him down. _We clearly have more to talk about,_ Tseng noted, settling in for what he assumed would be an overprotective mother’s ranting. As she begun, it appeared he wasn’t far off the mark.  
        “I don’t care what that contract says. I don’t care if he ends up killing people. I don’t care if he never comes back to Nibelheim for the rest of his life, but under **NO circumstances** is he to be given liquid mako. **Ever.** ” She took a breath, cutting Tseng off as he was about to interrupt. “Potions, materia, fine. But **NO** liquid mako. Is Rindan still working in Midgar?” He nodded, emotionless mask slipping slightly at the mention of Hojo by the greasy scientist’s first name. “Ever seriously injured, you take him to Rindan. Leave them _alone_ and I mean it. Name’s not Strife for bloody nothing-” She stopped herself as Reno appeared by Tseng’s side.  
        “Proff. Hell-no? What in Gaia’s name-” Reno froze as Tseng glared at him. Nodding to Ayira, he asked if she would like it added to the contract. Given the nature of the very _specific_ request, he suspected there was more behind it than a mother’s caution. 

That suspicion proved correct when, a moment later she added “It is not superstition, it is not environmentalist garbage, there is a serious medical reason. Cloud does not know, and you will not tell him.” Tseng nodded again, he found himself doing that a lot around the Strifes. “Rindan will be able to explain it to him better than I ever could. He knows the science behind it, and Cloud responds well to that.” She snatched the contract, writing it very clearly underneath Cloud’s own conditions.         “No mako, you hear me?” Ayira asked, calmer now but still clearly concerned. With yet another nod, Tseng confirmed “Yes ma’am. Understood.” 

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~X~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

Having come in on the tale end of that conversation, Reno momentarily forgot why he was there. It took slight prompting from Tseng before he remembered.  
        “Right, right, get on with it Reno.” He said out loud to himself, earning a disapproving squint from the older Turk. “Kid’s got too much equipment for the chopper yo. Gonna have to come back or have it sent.”  
At this Tseng let the edges of his mouth slant down slightly into a light frown. With all they found in the mansion, how much more could the boy possibly have? The house was two story as far as he could tell, and the upstairs would likely include two bedrooms and a restroom based on the floorplan down here. Seeing Ayira let out an exhausted sigh, he stood and turned to the stairs before ordering “Show me.” and the redhead did just that. 

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~T~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

To say that Tseng was surprised at the clean state of Cloud’s bedroom would have been an understatement. He’d been under the impression that most teenagers, including the normally tidy ones, at least let themselves relax and be disorderly and messy in their own rooms. Greeting the same sight that Reno had nearly twenty minutes earlier, he allowed himself the time to truly appreciate the boy’s aesthetic views and overall neatness. It was indeed a beautiful room, and made good use of the space provided. While it wasn’t up to Tseng’s personal tastes, his personal standards were more than met. He was once more reminded that the boy would need a place to live back in Midgar, and would need to be under surveillance constantly for at least the first few months. _Perhaps_ … he started, before shrugging the thought off before it completed. They still had to return to Midgar, and the boy would have to make it through questioning before any details were settled. Even then, everything had to be approved by Ronald Shinra, or Rufus is the President would allow it. _Gaia, I hadn’t thought about Rufus meeting him. That could be a disaster._

Looking around still, he noted the one thing he did _not_ see in the room, and turned to swear at Reno, only to see the redheaded Turk lowering himself into a hole in the floor. Presuming the boy, Cloud, would be down there as well, he held his tongue. Maybe he had jumped to conclusions too quickly there. This was what Cloud wanted, he reminded himself. He wouldn’t try to run, and if he did Reno would never have let him get far. Slightly disappointed in himself for not trusting his subordinate more, he followed the teen into the crawl space.

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~C~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

After an hour had passed, he had finally decided what to take with him to Midgar. To join the Turks. Holy chocobos was this exciting or what? An as an added bonus, he’d finally get to meet AuburnAngel. After breaking into the Turk network, Cloud had been disappointed to find that AurburnAngel’s identification was not among the data. He now knew the user was SOLDIER, they had said as much in the chat. Yes, Cloud occasionally read his own fanclub’s chat logs. Someone had to post the GeneralBoardNotice messages after all. Anyway, SOLDIER limited the possibilities to males, since the mako enhancement process was detrimental to female growth. He couldn’t imagine the Third Class having any spare time to support hackers, and Second Class shouldn’t be stupid enough to do it. They were more likely to be caught and reprimanded for supporting illegal activity. That left SOLDIER cadets, who he disregarded because most of them wouldn’t know a basic programming language, and First Class. 

Sero would never waste his time with such things, as the General he ought to be too busy. And as far as Cloud remembered, he absolutely _hated_ technology. The older boy had constantly trashed the PHSs Professor Rindan had bought for him because he couldn’t figure out how to use them. He’d destroyed most of the electronically locked doors in the mansion at least twice each, and somehow managed to overheat the desktop computers just by turning them on. The other First Class consisted of Angeal Hewley, who by all reports strongly valued honour and integrity, the man’s student Zackary Fair, who publically stated he liked technology but could barely manage PHS messaging, and Genesis Rhapsodos who had never stated his opinion on the advancing technologies. Reports Cloud had found in the Turk archives indicated high competency with computers and a number of instances involving online accounts that the Turks were ordered to track down and destroy. The man, or rather young adult since the Commander was only 20, often got into minor scuffles with the law due to financially supporting well known hackers without their permission. He’d just drop money into their offshore accounts for no apparent reason, but wasn’t very good at hiding his trail. The man was a natural auburn as well, and liked to consider himself a hero. Thus, without bothering to track the user ID down, Cloud was fairly certain that Rhapsodos was AuburnAngel. 

This whole opportunity to work with the Turks, to be a part of SHINRA, there were so many benefits. He could send half his paycheck back to his mother and Viva, spend his days… Well, he couldn’t be certain about how he’d spend his time in Midgar. He highly suspected the first week would be rather unpleasant, with lots of personal questions and interrogation from the Turks to make sure he wouldn’t be a security risk later on. But he would get to talk to one of his oldest fans, one who had no idea the scrawny blond kid meeting him would actually be the infamous hacker he follows so regularly. _Oh the joys yet to come._ Cloud thought, before stuffing the last of his important belongings in a duffle bag. Tseng and Reno had decided to send a transport vehicle back to Nibelheim to collect his equipment, but he could honestly care less. Yes, it was high end tech, but he already had the money to replace it all ten times and still have money left over. _But if they send people into the mansion..._ he paused, lifting the duffle over his shoulder, _I’d better get Viva out of there._

And with that thought he was moving, down the stairs to see the other three standing or sitting in the kitchen with tea. Barely sparing the time to drop his duffle bag on the table he bolted towards the door. Seeing the Turks spring into movement he yelled out towards his mother, knowing she could hold them here. “Mum! Viva and Nykulos-” she nodded with a grin, and he was gone. 

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~X~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

The blur of blond, blue, and gray had startled both Tseng and Reno into motion as it had streaked through the door. They barely had time to register what it was before it shouted and Ayira Strife moved to block the door. When it dawned on Tseng that the blur had been Cloud, he made to push her aside, only to be caught up in the sight of her small grin and sparkling eyes. With some restraint, he managed to suppress the feeling that Cloud would not come back, using the knowledge that Cloud wouldn’t leave his mother here. Or at least he _thought_ the boy wouldn’t abandon his only family member… While Cloud had finished packing, they had been asking Ayira questions about the young teen, his personality and background, what the family situation was like. At the mention of his father she had all but clammed up and refused to speak of him, motioning towards a number of face down picture frames on the mantle of the fireplace in the living room. Now though, she stood in his way and sighed, so he shifted his weight from foot to foot awaiting an explanation, which he got as she finished her sigh.  
“Only others near this village he cares about, ‘sides from myself.” She directed them to the couch. “Ought to let him say bye on his own, I think.” 

Opting to respect that, Tseng remained standing but did walk towards the living room to lean against a wall, tightening his ponytail. As the sun set further, she continued to reassure them Cloud would return and implored them to stay the night and wait for him if they doubted her. And stay they did, long into the night, awake and trying to believe the blonde woman. Reno was about to suggest they go search for him when the back door swung open and Cloud entered, noting them on the couches. In the dark, his eyes almost glowed with the reflection of the moonlight seeping in the door behind him. As did the eyes of a very _furry,_ very _large_ animal standing directly behind him. Tseng swiftly rose to his feet and drew gun from one of the various holsters in his suit, pointing it at the animal. A low growl rumbled through the room, but cut short as Cloud gave it a quiet shush while in the process of tying something around his wrist “Last night home.” He said softly to the Turks. “Nykulos.” he called as he made his way to the stairs, and they watched as what was apparently was a _very large Nibel Wolf_ followed behind. 

Reno rubbed his surely tired eyes, and turned to the couch. Stripping his shirt off, he grabbed one of the blankets Ayira had left out before she went to sleep, and curled up on one side of the couch. Tseng, he knew would want to keep watch to be certain Cloud didn’t run, or more likely, that _Nykulos_ didn’t decide he wanted a midnight snack and come down to eat them. 

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~T~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

The following morning came swiftly for all in the Strife household, lights turning on at four. When Tseng had said before dawn, he had meant it. It being Thursday he wanted to get back to Midgar and start the paperwork. The mere thought of it had him pinching the bridge of his nose. Sometimes he believed there were so few Turks because no one wanted to fill out the excessive forms, though he knew it was more a matter of finding promising skill. That, and most of the recruits didn’t survive the training….He snorted as he watched Reno still asleep on the couch, despite the fact that the lights were on and the blanket had fallen to the floor. 

The redheaded Turk was still curled up, much like he had been at the in. Now though, his hair tie had come loose in the night and the long red tail at the base of his skull had spread out over the pale skin of his back. It still looked smooth and flawless. Suppressing the roots of such inappropriate thoughts, he again noted the position the teen seemed to revert to in sleep. Instead of Tseng’s shirt grasped in his hand, it was the back of the couch. He wondered if the position was left over from the teen’s years in the slums. _How long did you fend for yourself before you picked my pocket?_ He wondered, about to review the memory. Instead, he stashed it in the recesses of his mind and observed as a _very_ awake Cloud Strife slipped past him into the kitchen. _Memories for another day,_ he supposed as the obviously early riser moved about. The blond teen’s natural stealth was uncanny, and he wanted to observe him in his natural environment as long as possible. 

Making for the kitchen, he found Cloud preparing a fruit smoothie. When the boy set a glass of water on the table in front of him, Tseng wondered if he could ever startle the teen. He was also rather enjoying the boy’s eating habits, as they reflected a much healthier lifestyle than others his age typically held. While the pancakes yesterday had not been a great addition, the combination now spoke of a high fruit and vegetable diet and not much else, other than protein, apparently. He watched as Cloud took a large container of pistachios from a cupboard, looked around the kitchen, and promptly stuffed it inside his jacket. Continuing on as if nothing had happened he opened the fridge and frowned. Tseng could see frozen mango cubes, strawberries, pear halves, banana, and sweet peppers already sitting in the blender, and nearly choked on the water he’d picked up without realising it as Cloud sniffed the leftover tea from yesterday’s kettle, shrugged, and dumped it into the blender. 

It seemed like such a habitual action, but was so odd to see. As a hangover from the Wutaian culture he was raised in, Tseng often drank tea in his apartment and never managed to drink all of it, but never had he thought to use the remainder in such a manner. He typically used juice of some kind, or milk for the calcium content.  
He was about to comment on the choice when a low growl entered his hearing, and he turned to see the wolf standing in the doorway, hair on it’s back raised in agitation. It was staring straight at him, the muscles and fur on it’s nose rising into ridges as it bared its teeth. Tseng was prepared to jump atop the table, or perhaps the counters, to create some distance between himself and the thing, but Cloud had turned around to smack it lightly on the nose with a wooden spoon and mutter “Too early Nyk. Eat him later when mum won’t hear his screams.” 

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~T~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

Tseng did not know what to make of Cloud’s words just then, or whether or not he was joking. The teen had never made eye contact and his facial muscles were completely relaxed, as they had been all throughout the previous day. It seemed that when Ayira said her son was _a bit reserved,_ it had been a gargantuan understatement. He had no doubt the boy only showed emotion on his face if he really tried to, and clearly it wasn’t worth the effort. 

The wolf sauntered over to bump against Cloud’s hip by this point, and the blender was going. The teen had one hand plugging the ear closest to the blender, and the other running through the beast’s fur. As he reached out further to scrub Nykulos’ head, Tseng recalled his actions last night and noted the red fabric strib tied comfortably around his wrist. The wolf seemed to eye it from time to time, as though it had more significance than mere fabric. 

Frustrated with the lack of information he and Reno had managed to gather, he sat at the table and let his head lower to rest on its surface, debating whether or not to wake Reno for conversation. Stilling a the thought, he finally realised how little Cloud Strife had spoken, how weighed his responses had been. It was eerily similar to another individual he dealt with on a regular basis. Cloud Strife reminded him of _Sephiroth,_ he surprised himself with the thought. _Gaia help us if the two should ever meet. That would be worse than Rufus_

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~X~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

By roughly five in the morning, Reno had risen from the couch and stolen some of Cloud’s smoothie. While the other teen had glared at him while he sipped from Cloud’s glass, he shrugged it off as the rest of his drink was returned. Tseng, observing the interaction, knew that those two would get into trouble together quite often back at headquarters. _Yet another reason to limit the amount of time Reno has to influence him,_ Tseng determined. He was leaning more and more towards keeping the newest Turk in his own apartment, where he could monitor and perhaps mentor him when he had time. In all likelihood the training would be delegated to another Turk, since as the Commander he had little time to himself, but similar thoughts continued to pop up in his mind as they went about getting ready. 

Ayira had come down soon after Reno entered the kitchen, and gave her son a long hug during which he looked mildly uncomfortable. After a few whispered words and nods between them, the blonde woman set about packing some of the more transportable foods into a small box, explaining to Reno that “Cloud’s the only one that eats healthy in this house. I’ll never eat any of this,” gesturing towards the box. Cloud shrugged and caught his toast as it popped up, eating it plain. 

The time leading up to six entailed carrying various electronics and computer monitors to the helicopter, and just as the sun began to crest the horizon they’d filled it to near the maximum weight capacity. Cloud spent a large amount of this time to the side, speaking to Nykulos and attempting to console the large wolf over his imminent departure. 

When at last the teen managed to get the beast to stay put and not board the chopper with him, Reno started the engine. It would be a minute yet before they could lift, they all knew, so there was no annoyance when a high pitched shout sounded in the air around them. Ayira, leaning on a nearby tree, turned to look behind her and watch as little Tifa ran past her and up to the helicopter, fearless in the face of the massive metal rotor blades spinning faster above her head.  
        “You weren’t going to say goodbye to me!” She yelled at Cloud, water beginning to pool in the corners of her eyes. “You’re the only one I can stand here Cloud, TAKE ME WITH YOU!” Cloud slowly shook his head, watching with little remorse as Tseng blocked her from climbing aboard.  
        “Find _your_ path Tifa. Bridge is too obvious.” He voiced, watching as she began to calm, finding comfort in the meaning behind his words. She gazed at him, trying to understand but failing to.  
        She had tried to understand him all her life, but it was nearly impossible. What Tifa _did_ know though, was that Cloud would always be special to her. He was always there, in the background, watching everyone and everything. He would hide in the shadows, only to emerge when she scraped her knee, or one of the other children got hurt. She never wanted to be far from him. She never wanted him to leave. She wanted him to…. _I want him to be mine,_ Tifa realised with a shock. 

“Cloud, promise me! Promise me you’ll come back and be my hero some day!” It was a desperate attempt, but now that she knew it was the best she could offer. “Promise me you’ll come back to be my knight in shining armor.” She trailed off quietly. The rotor blades had picked up enough speed now, and they needed to be on their way.  
        “I love you Tifa, like a sister.” Cloud began, seeing the hope in her eyes rise, then fall, and ultimately rise into pride. “But you’ll learn to protect yourself with Master Zangan training you.” She tried to speak then, but he cut her off. “It will cost you nothing, your father does not know.” 

        Her eyes widened in disbelief, in excitement and joy at the prospect, despite her wish that Cloud was not leaving. She had been hiding near his house after leading the Turks there, to find out what was happening. She couldn’t hear anything from outside but when they never left for the night, her gut had told her she might never see Cloud again. Thus she had snuck out of the house so early to stop him, or see him off. She recalled again how he had given her chocolates instead of proposals, of how different he was from the other boys. And in the end, she was eternally grateful to him because he was _different._ Because he healed the little wounds that people had in their minds. Because he had _always_ given her a chance to be strong on her own, and she just now realised all of this. 

As the Turks ordered him to sit down and buckle himself in, he took the last moments he could to untie the red cloth around his wrist and hold it out to her. “Nykulos will guide you, I have to leave.” Cloud smiled, a real smile that he did not have to think about, releasing the fabric only once Tifa had grasped it firmly so it did not blow away in the wind from the helicopter. He watches as she ran back to stand with his mother, noting a shadow hovering in the tree she leaned on, and the smile held for long after the door closed, and the chopper lifted off to begin its long journey home. 

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~X~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

For the short liftoff, it remained silent in the chopper cabin as the two older Turks digested what Cloud had said. It was the most he had spoken the entire time they’d been in Nibelheim, and left quite the lasting impression. When Reno decided to break the silence, he asked only one question. 

“How you gonna pay her lessons yo?” He watched as the right corner of Cloud’s mouth twitched slightly. Nodding to himself, the redhead turned back towards his controls, shooting a sidelong glance at Tseng. Seeing the puzzled look in Tseng’s eyes, though the man’s face remained impassive, he shrugged and offered “Hacking does pay _so well._ ” And with that they descended into silence once more. 

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~V~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

Back at the clearing, outside of Nibelheim, Ayira stood where the chopper had been and stared at the ground. Tifa besider, suddenly tensed as a man walked out of the other side of the clearing, clearing his throat to inform the blonde of his presence.  
        “He told me to watch over you Ayira….” The blonde smiled at him. Seeing Cloud’s mother relax, Tifa followed suit and studied the man curiously. His hair looked overgrown, a red band keeping it from his face. One arm was covered in some kind of golden claw, and his boots looked similarly heavy.  
        “I think it’s the other way around dear. Jus’ hope Rindan takes good care.” she paused. “Tifa, _this_ is Cloud’s friends _Viva._ ” 

The girl looked at him longer, and the man felt his demons stir inside. One in particular peered through his eyes and at the red strip of fabric clasped tightly in her hand, offering a quiet suggestion. Wishing dearly he could ignore his inner demons, Vincent Valentine determined _this time_ he would take the advice.         With Cloud out of Nibelheim, it was time he looked for something else to keep him occupied. The boy was more persuasive than he could possible know, and now he had left a parting gift.  
        “Tifa, is it. I will help with Nykulos.” 

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~C~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

No more than an hour into the long ride to Midgar, Cloud Strife had determined he never wanted to ride a helicopter again. Ever. He had never been so high of the ground before, unless Chaos was flying with him. A number of times the demon had taken over Viva and expressed the desire to stretch his wings, but it was always a smooth ride on Chaos’ leathery appendages. This forsaken hunk of metal was nothing of the sort, finding turbulence and rough passage more often than not.  
Tseng, who had abandoned the copilot seat in favour of checking on him, kindly offered a nausea pill, which he took immediately without water. He knew it was a bad idea. He knew he should have warned the two Turks. But his stomach was rolling and twisting with every small jerk of the chopper, and ass the medication kicked in he decided he didn’t really care. When he was asleep, it wasn’t his problem to deal with anymore. For whenever Cloud Strife had taken medicine at any point in his life, it knocked him out and turned his body into dead weight. He had long ago concluded that it just wasn’t made for people like him, whatever that meant. 

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~R~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

Reno couldn’t help but snort as he glanced in the mirror, only to find Tseng sitting awkwardly with Cloud’s head on his thigh. Apparently his reaction to medications would have to be monitored because the kid, _Cloud,_ he corrected himself again, was clearly knocked out. It surprised him somewhat, now that he thought about it, that Tseng was even allowing himself to be used as a pillow. Even to Reno, formerly the youngest Turk, the Wutaian man was a cold hearted bastard more often than not.  
_Perhaps,_ the redhead thought to himself, _the man has found a soft-spot somewhere inside that icy hear after all._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **A/N:** Next chapter, Cloud arrives in Midgar! About bloody time, yeah?
> 
>  
> 
> **PS, Kunsel’s fan name is in my profile bio. Congrats to _kitsydemon_ for guessing it first yeah. (^_^) **


	6. One Of Us

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two years. Cloud was furious. Two years he had been applying to join SHINRA’s army, every time a recruiter came to Nibelheim.  
> Over the weekend the Turks experience a security breach, and a week later Turk headquarters are disrupted by the laughter of a noisy redhead, after having found a video posted by one of the most notorious hackers on the darknet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **A/N:** This first bit with Angeal and Gen was supposed to be in last chapter but never got around to it. Apparently Angeal was still out on a mission. :)
> 
> Sorry, this chapter is mostly setup for the next one. Had to be done. \\(0_0)/
> 
>  **Disclaimer:** I own nothing but the plot, and my writing style.

Genesis couldn’t contain his excitement Thursday afternoon, Angeal was due home from his latest mission.  
It wasn’t that he missed the raven haired First, oh no. They spoke on the PHS every night as a hangover from childhood. But he wanted to be the first person to brief Angeal on the situation with the hacker, and show him the video. It would undoubtedly lead to another speech about honour and integrity, and how the hacker must be brought to justice for invading their privacy, but Genesis was long since accustomed to tuning those lectures out. And his transport truck had just pulled in to unload.

He smirked as the infantrymen and SOLDIER Thirds caught sight of him, watching as the ripple of whispers worked its way to the back of the group. They scurried out of his path in an attempt to avoid his wrath. Any time the auburn was smiling, it meant pain. Or more appropriately, _fire_. But throwing low level fire spells around was the last thing on his mind as he spied Angeal climbing out of the truck, the familiar Buster Sword strapped to his back.

“Angeal, welcome back.” he purred, causing the other to look up and frown at him. Angeal knew that tone, knew that it meant something had happened while he was gone. Most importantly, it meant Genesis was enjoying the situation and _that_ never boded well.  
“At least tell me it has nothing to do with the Pup this time.” He grumbled, and his auburn haired friend laughed.

In less than an hour they’d made it in and out of Hollander’s post-mission check up, and up to their floor of the SHINRA tower. Sephiroth’s apartment was the floor above, but the General hadn’t returned from the front in Wutai, so they remained in their own shared space. The floor was divided into two apartments, and a shared central space that contained the kitchen and lounge. It was on the couch in said lounge that Genesis had shoved the other down and plopped into the seat next to him with his laptop, not even allowing Angeal the chance to unpack. 

_Oh how I’ve looked forward to this briefing._ Genesis thought as he began his explanations.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~X~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was closing on ten o’clock Thursday evening when the Turks finally made it back to Midgar. Long before the chopper neared the landing pad, Tseng and Reno could make out a good number of people waiting for them, including the President, Rufus, the Turks not out on missions, and of course a hoard of infantrymen.

The newest member of the Turks, Cloud, was still knocked out from the meds Tseng had given him, reminding the older Turk they would have to have that checked out. For now though, they landed with minimal jostling and began to hop out. With Reno more focused on making sure the rotor blades were slowing down properly, Tseng picked the blond up and stepped out to face a semicircle of armed infantrymen who were clearly confused. No doubt they found it hard to believe the chocobo jailbait he was carrying was somehow a security risk, because much like Reno, the boy’s face was near angelic when sleeping. That, and seeing the Turk Commander carrying a small teen was hard to get past.

At this point, Reno climbed down from the cockpit and motioned for them to relax and clear the way as Tseng handed the kid to Rude. Turning to Rufus, Reno grinned at the rather confused expression the 18 year old was wearing. _Wonder if he thinks he’s got a new bastard brother,_ he chuckled to himself. Or started to, as he realised that was still a possibility. They had no information on the father yet.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~X~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“President.” Tseng gave with a nod as the man approached. “Objectives complete.” The plump man stared at him, before responding.  
“And he complied without a fuss?”  
“There were conditions.”  
“A boy his age, which I assume you know, made his own demands against my company? As if he had any _choice?!_ ” Shinra raged, disregarding the others on the roof. As soon as his voice had begun to raise, Rufus had motioned the infantryman off, and sent the Turks inside with the unconscious boy, save Reno who stuck to Tseng’s side.  
“He had no hesitancy over choosing death if circumstances were… unfavourable, sir.” Tseng offered. That moment in Nibelheim had, in fact, unnerved him. The teen’s mind was set, he had no doubt.  
Hearing this, at least, Shinra began to calm down. The calculation behind his eyes was clear. Of the two options, he’d rather have the boy’s skills working for him than wasted in death. While he was contemplating the outcome however, Rufus arrived at his side with his own concerns.  
“They were… within reason? His conditions?” A nod from Tseng.  
“Payment, no kill orders, lunch with a certain SFC.” At this Rufus hummed quietly, while his father grumbled out “Not unreasonable. And of course every young boy his age wants to meet the great General,” with a snort.  
Tseng and Reno glanced at each other, and only Rufus caught the look.  
“No, not the General,” Shinra looked at his son in mild shock, “Which SFC is it?”

Tseng paused for a moment, sharing another look with his second in command. “... Rhapsodos.” Shinra grumbled again, though this time the words were barely audible. Rufus, Tseng, and Reno caught something about _unpredictable boys_ with _skills beyond their years,_ as the man nodded and walked off, pausing at the door to bellow for Rufus to follow.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~X~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Once inside the tower, Reno and Tseng made their way to the Turk floors to find the others, and more importantly, Cloud. Both were slightly worried the teen hadn’t woken up yet, but as they neared the common area the heard his soft voice asking where they were. Rounding the last corner, they found Cloud seated on a couch with most of the Turks surrounding him, not in a threatening manner, but in a way that clearly implied he wasn’t going anywhere until they had permission to let him. Upon seeing Tseng, he nodded, causing the other Turks to turn towards their Commander, whose presence they had not noted.

Handing the briefcase with Cloud’s file in it to Cissnei, Tseng sat next to Cloud on the couch and waited. He could see the sleep still clouding the teen’s eyes, though the hair hadn’t changed. It took less than a few minutes before Cissnei sucked in a short, quiet gasp.  
“He’s… One of us?” She turned to Reno incredulously.The redhead nodded. At this a number of murmurs broke out amongst the other Turks, save for Rude who simply returned his attention to the boy. Or rather teen, as Cissnei began reading his file out. This was the hacker, then. Cloud Strife, age 14, born and raised in Nibelheim where the first reactor was built. Single parent, father unknown but requires further inquiry. Equipment left behind in his hometown would require retrieval to prevent anyone else from using it.

The rest was just a list of observations Tseng and Reno had compiled, along with the specification and conditions of his contract. Within the hour they had sorted through the remaining details, and much to everyone’s surprise Tseng claimed the newest member of the Turks would be sharing the Commander’s own apartment. Logically, it made sense. Highest security levels in the building, equal to Ronald Shinra’s own as well as the SOLDIER General and Commanders apartments. He’d be under Tseng’s supervision there as well, though they learned any of them could supervise the newest addition to their group. Either way, it was all in good order a short time later. For now he was settled in, and would spend the first week fixing company security networks and archives, including the Turk one, to prevent future hacks. Cloud would also have to go through testing and interrogation to figure out just what he knew, and what training he would need. A mentor was the last thing they couldn’t decide on, since each of them had a partner already and Tseng simply couldn’t spare the time.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~C~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Close to 3 a.m., Cloud was led up to Tseng’s apartment. From his dive into the archives, he knew all the Turk apartments were on the 65th floor, and the offices below on the 64th, but it was clear once the door was open that the Commander’s apartment was large, probably much larger than the others. And the Wutaian’s tastes reflected his own.

The floors were wooden, with a dark stain. So polished Cloud could clearly make out his own reflection in them. Following Tseng’s example, he slipped his shoes off in the entrance and set them aside next to the wall. From what he could see, he was going to like it here, despite technically being held captive. Grey walls, Wutaian paintings, leather couches, and nothing cluttering the space. It was, to put it simply, an alluring space. 

Tseng motioned for him to follow, walking down a short hallway and pushing a door open to what he assumed was a spare room. The walls were blank, the lighting fixture bare. Cloud set his duffel bag down under the lightswitch before they continued the tour of the apartment, though they avoided Tseng’s room. _I can respect that,_ Cloud thought. _It’s a private enough space._

It did not take him long to settle in, and soon enough they both drifted off to sleep. It was a late night, and the morning would undoubtedly be busy.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~C~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Friday morning came and went swiftly for Cloud. He’d woken up with Tseng and followed the man down one flight of stairs to the offices. Reno had all but claimed him for the day, intently watching him as he fixed a few blaring holes in their security in the central computer room. It reminded him of his space in the mansion. Several times he was forced to pause and explain his techniques, but eventually Reno got the hang of how he worked. 

The Turks from the roof yesterday took turns dropping by, introducing themselves and their specialties so that if he needed assistance he could find the right person, and a number of other personnel including a few department heads dropped by over the weekend. Cloud suspected the President had sent out a notification to all the executives, but judging by the lack of information they had, it hadn’t included his name. If it weren’t for the constant supervision, he’d have simply skimmed through the emails and notifications in Ronald Shinra’s personal records, but that would certainly be an action Reno would recognise.

Scarlet, the head of Weapons Development, gave him the creeps. It wasn’t any one specific thing she did, it was just her attitude and overall demeanor. She’d offered to let him program some new weapon she was developing, before Rude escorted her out. Reno’s only explanation was that more often than not, Scarlet’s so called inventions had the tendency to blow up in the face of whoever used them, and most of the designs never made it to production. The warning there was clear enough, and Cloud wondered why she hadn’t been fired yet. No one knew the answer.

Reeve, Urban Development’s head, had seemed sincere enough and had no proposition or offer that was likely to get him blown up. His concerns were more about Cloud’s own situation and health. It was clear he worried over the damage the company was doing, particularly to the people of Midgar. Palmer had only showed up to catch a glimpse of the hacker.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~X~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The following week progressed in a similar fashion, arriving with Tseng, fixing the network holes, talking to other Turks, and returning to Tseng’s apartment. The only thing out of the ordinary that had happened was Rufus Shinra coming down to interrogate him, which had yielded no results. He had pried into Cloud’s past, his history, and most prominently his family. His father seemed particularly important to the elder blond teen, but on that subject at least, he truthfully had no knowledge. His mother had never spoken of his father, and any time he asked about it she would tell him to forget it. It was as much a mystery to Cloud as it seemed to be for the rest of the company, Rufus and the Turks included. Either way, Rufus had spent the better part of Wednesday pestering him with questions, and eventually slipped onto the subject of his coding skills.

Viva, he knew, would not want his name mentioned, so Cloud stuck to a vague mention of a mentor who taught him most of it. “My mentor,” he’d finished with, “Has no intention of involving himself with political or company based affairs.” That at least had gotten them to back down and drop the feigned concern over someone else possessing the skill set to hack into the Turk netframes.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~T~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Over the course of the week, very few people had managed to converse with Tseng. He’d been rather busy trying to find a suitable mentor for Cloud. The training tests had revealed the boy was already proficient in hand to hand, and had _some_ experience with materia, but weapons training still had to happen. _A must have for any Turk, part time or not, is the ability to use whatever weapon they can access._ Frowning once more as he reviewed the profiles displayed on his desk, he let out an inaudible sigh and returned them to the proper drawer. Not only would Cloud need someone who could spare large chunks of time to train him, the Turks needed someone who might be able to tease some information out of him.

It was clear the teen had no idea who his father was, but his mentor was becoming suspicious. _Where else could he have gotten hand to hand combat training that so strikingly resembled Veld’s? And computer skills so advanced they broke the placement tests?_ The only record of a similar individual had been Veld’s partner, a Turk _retired_ 20 years ago, 6 years before Cloud was even born. Nevertheless, the newest Turk needed someone to train with, and none of the Turks at the moment were available for the task. A hand had almost found the bridge of his nose to postpone the oncoming headache, when an idea more fit to come out of Reno’s thoughts crossed him. 

_It’s a long shot, but I wonder if the cadet program has an opening…._ Tseng shook his head. As ridiculous as it sounded, it would at least get Cloud the varied weapons training. There might even be a chance someone would get his Nibelheim mentor’s name out of him, if Tseng remembered correctly.

_I do believe Zack is serving punishment for pranking the executives._ He opened the First Class’ schedule on his laptop and smirked. _Perfect. Fair is teaching Cadet Weapons Training._

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~X~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thursday night, back in his own apartment, Tseng informed the youngest Turk of his decision. With no available Turk partners, Cloud Strife would be entering the SOLDIER Cadet program under an alias to receive weapons training. He would attend the usual classes and training, and report to the Turk offices to continue his work in the evenings. Cloud had immediately supplied the name _Pete Krut_ as an alias, and Tseng nodded despite not knowing where the name came from. It was normal enough to avoid suspicion.  
“Before any of this,” he grimaced, “You’ll need to have your physical done in the labs.” 

They couldn’t afford to have Hojo dig his claws into the teen, but the conditions of the contract were clear. By law they had to leave Cloud alone with the crazed scientist if he was seriously injured. It did _not_ however, state that they couldn’t be present when he _wasn’t_ seriously injured.

“Both Reno and I will be accompanying you tomorrow, Friday morning, to the labs on the 57th floor.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **A/N:** Chapter 8 now has a drawing embedded in it, if you want to take a look. Next chapter should be fun yeah?


	7. The Scientist's Smile

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two years. Cloud was furious. Two years he had been applying to join SHINRA’s army, every time a recruiter came to Nibelheim.  
> Over the weekend the Turks experience a security breach, and a week later Turk headquarters are disrupted by the laughter of a noisy redhead, after having found a video posted by one of the most notorious hackers on the darknet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **A/N:** So... sorry about this guys. The lab scenes ended up much longer than expected. **Breakfast/lunch with Gen will be in chapter 13.** Please don’t kill me. XP
> 
>  
> 
>  **Disclaimer:** I own nothing but the plot, and my writing style.

Friday morning, Reno and Tseng were seated at Tseng’s table, talking about the plan for the day. It was nearing seven and both knew they would soon have to wake the blond sleeping on the couch. Hojo was not known for his patience, and the only open time available this day was eight o’clock. The scientist had already expressed his agitation at having to run a physical for a late addition recruit.

Reno had arrived at roughly 4 a.m. with a half empty beer in his hand. It wasn’t nearly enough to intoxicate him, but Tseng had wrestled it from his grip nonetheless. At least the Wutaian didn’t know it was the third bottle. There was clearly something on the redhead’s mind, and it probably had something to do with the current situation. Neither of them wanted Hojo anywhere _near_ Cloud Strife. Who they suddenly noticed was gone from the couch. The fleece blanket was neatly folded and the water for the shower was running.

“Yo boss. Been training him off hours? Kid’s freaky silent when he moves.” It was a shared sentiment. Cloud had caught almost all of the Turks in Midgar off guard in less than a week with the iced tea incident.  
The teen had all but disappeared for close to twenty minutes, only to pop up in the computer control room where he was supposed to be. They had all worked up a sweat running around the building like mad trying to locate him, and when they did he was working again and drinking iced tea. Even more, as they returned to their respective offices and desks, they each had a cold cup of tea waiting for them. He still wouldn’t tell what he’d been doing in those twenty minutes. Or where he’d gotten the tea, much to Cissnei’s annoyance.  
“No Reno. I assume it rubbed off of his unknown mentor. Same routine every day though. Rises, showers, eats a light meal and stretches. Like clockwork.”  
“Same time every day?” Tseng shook his head.  
“Always on an hour mark, not always at seven. There are days he rises before I do.” He quieted, hearing the water turn off. Within a few minutes Cloud’s spiky head popped out, wearing a towel around his lower half, and walked towards his own room. Another minute or two and the teen was in the kitchen making himself a smoothie. Tseng had kindly picked up his usual ingredients earlier in the week. 

It was rather unsettling, Tseng had found, to have Cloud living in his apartment. He still rarely spoke, and when he did it was short and clipped. No wonder Rude had bonded with him so fast. Now though, Cloud had finished the smoothie, cramming a handful of pistachios into one pocket or his cadet trousers. The uniform had been brought in yesterday, though they hadn’t managed to get a nameplate made yet. He wouldn’t need it until Monday anyway so there wasn’t any rush. He also had to pass the physicals yet, which was why he stood at the door waiting for Tseng and Reno to move. If only the teen knew what Hojo might do to him, he wouldn’t be in such an amiable mood. Unfortunately, the trip to the madman's lab was unavoidable.

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~X~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

Upon entering the lab, the trio received quite a few confused looks, as though they weren’t expected. One of the lab techs waved them over and told them they had to be sent through the Science Department headquarters the floor below before entering the labs. Tseng had simply stared at him while Reno asked for Hojo.

“He doesn’t take well to disturbances, sir.” The tech addressed Tseng. “But he should be in the back lab.” As they departed and made their way towards the indicated door, Reno overheard the man mutter _“Just follow the creepy chuckles,”_ under his breath. He couldn’t agree more as the three of them neared the back lab, because he could indeed hear the deranged scientist muttering to himself, with the occasional chuckle thrown in.

Moments later Tseng gently pushed the door open, and they spotted two lab techs, one assistant, and Hojo in all his glory. Greasy hair slicked back into a ponytail, round wire framed glasses with a slightly grey tint, and shoulders hunched forward so far the man’s back was almost round. He hadn’t turned towards them yet, too absorbed in whatever was under the microscope at the moment, but all could see the frown lines and wrinkled forehead from the side. The constantly disapproving expression was the one everyone had grown used to seeing. That, and looking at everyone as if they were a new specimen he might experiment on were about the only two faces anyone had seen him wear. Suppressing a shudder, Reno waited for the man to acknowledge their presence, only to see Cloud streaking past him. Before either of the elder Turks could stop him, he had jumped on to the scientist’s back, arms latched on his shoulders and neck, quite literally hanging on him. The man started reeling, lurching violently in an attempt to throw off his attacker, all the while yelling in his ghoulish voice for security to come to his aid, that there was an intruder in the lab. He had started to repeat his shouts, and intermittent threats to the individual hanging off his neck, when Cloud pulled harder to bring himself up to the scientist’s ear and whispered “Hello again Uncle Rin.” 

The two Turks in the entrance to his labs were petrified by the shock of such a greeting, just as Hojo himself froze still. 

Several moments passed in silence, before one of the lab techs moved to assist the professor. The blond cadet was clearly a security breach, and if Hojo wasn’t immediately helped the entire lab wouldn’t hear the end of his rantings for months after. While the professor truly had made impressive discoveries and advancements, not a single person in the Science Department could disobey him or upset him willingly. He was after all, the Director.

Seeing the first tech moving, the other and the lab assistant clearly made the same call and started towards the blond and the professor, only stop in their tracks as the supposedly frail and elder scientist flipped the cadet around his side and held him up in the air by his sides. And _smiled._

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~H~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

Hojo barely heard the shuffle of feet as the lab technicians and his assistant sprinted out of the lab, or the two Turks that moved out of their way, stepping to the sides of the door. It had been a _long_ time since he had seen this boy. Ten long years since he had so much as a glimpse. His one and only godson, Cloud Strife, was finally here to visit. “Storm-puff… What are you doing here, in Midgar?”

The smile on the boy’s face, a small upturn of his lips on either side, set him at peace. He’d had so many reservations about leaving Ayira and her boy behind, with the town isolating the two as much as possible for their own protection. A sudden thought sparked and he frowned immediately, voicing his concern in haste. “Your mother! Is she-”  
“Projo…” he was interrupted, “Not alone.”

 _Right, there are Turks present._ Hojo chastised himself, Turning to face the other two in the room. Both were still shocked senseless, no doubt from seeing him, a normally unshakeable, strongly disliked scientist, with a blond teen literally hanging off of him. “Can I help you, _Turks,_ or have you volunteered for experimentation?” He had dropped his smile, though he chuckled as the redhead blanched whiter than he already was. Tseng appeared unmoved, the the curiosity couldn’t be hidden. “Or perhaps the both of you should consider taking lessons from my godson here, to better hide your emotions.” he cackled. There it was, a twitch in Tseng’s brow. _So much fun to toy with, these Turks were_. He waved a hand dismissively at them as he turned to set Cloud down on the examination table. _Might as well check up on his health. Hell if he gives permission I might snag a few more Anjemako samples to look at._

Hearing one of the Turks clear their throat, he glanced to see they hadn’t left yet and turned, hands on hips. “Is there something else you need, Turk?” A nod.  
“Pete Krut here is the late addition the cadet class this year and is here for his physical.” The Wutaian one answered.  
“That is not his name, and still does require the top two Turks to be present.”  
“That is of no concern-” the man was cut off.  
“Projo stop. Krut reversed. PT”The blond interjected. It was silent for a bit once more, before a low rumble came up from Rindan Hojo’s stomach. It bubbled and fought it’s way to the surface, and that which hadn’t happened in a _very_ long time finally occurred.

It wasn’t a chuckle, or a cackle. It wasn’t the false amusement he put on in front of the President or other executives. This was heartfelt laughter, and it felt as though he was releasing years of pent up stress. Oh how he couldn’t contain it, Hojo did not fear. It took him a good long minute to get his breath back before turning to his godson.

“So you’re a part time Turk, Storm-puff, and you’ll be undercover doing… what? Training with the puny cadets?” He laughed again. Gaia it felt good to laugh again. He’d been trying to vilify himself in everyone’s eyes for so long, so they’d have someone to blame… Cloud had nodded in response. The Turks, he noted, still had not left, though hands were no longer twitching towards the many concealed weapons they each no doubt carried.

It took no more than a finger gesture to shoo them out the door they came in, though Reno took the time to offer “Um, guess I’ll be outside the lab doors yo. Don’t feel welcome here. Holler if ya’ need me kid.” And finally alone with the little blond light of his life, he took in how much Cloud had grown. “Fourteen already.” He murmured.  
In response to his earlier question, Cloud afforded “Viva watches mum. Moved home.” as Hojo set about the appropriate tests. Scoffing quietly he asked “How on Gaia did you manage to get him out of the coffin?” as the conversation continued. Well, it was mostly himself talking while Cloud nodded and grunted to indicate he was still listening. That, at least, hadn’t changed, but they had ten years to catch up on, and he would gladly push back his other appointments to add a few hours while they waited for the results.

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~S~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

Sephiroth, back from a long mission in Wutai, was in a murderous mood. As he bypassed the Science Department headquarters and headed straight to the labs, assistants and technicians scurried to get out of his way. The menacing aura he was putting out was enough to keep even _Scarlet_ away when he wanted to, and she was damn determined about getting into his bed.

Stalking through the hall and shoving the doors open he entered Hojo’s lab for his mandatory post-mission status check. It was a requirement all First Class had to deal with, though Angeal and Genesis went to Hollander. Only Zack and he came to the disturbed Science Department head, and their treatments were vastly different. The pup didn’t have to spend multiple hours getting experimented on since he wasn’t SHINRA _property._ But all things aside, Sephiroth would rather it was himself than any of the others. He didn’t deserve such treatment but they deserved it even less. For now though, he had to focus on getting through the remainder of the day. How the Professor had gained guardianship over him, he would never know, but it was easier to simply do as he was told and report to the labs when requested. It was less painful than ignoring the notices, getting tranquilised, and dragged down here. 

Seeing the Professor at his desk, Sephiroth was about to announce his arrival. Hojo was often too absorbed in whatever he was working on that he didn’t notice when people came to see him. Before speaking though, his eyes caught several tufts of blond hair and he turned to see some nameless grunt in a cadet uniform sitting happily on the examination table as Hojo continued puttering around the lab. As the noise finally broke his thoughts, he realised the scientist was _smiling_ and _chatting_ with the kid.

_What the hell,_ he thought, glaring at the boy. Who didn’t flinch, he noted as the cadet opened his mouth to speak. _How dare he speak to his General without permission-_ his mind clamped down on the thought. No, the boy was not speaking to _him_ he realised, and had to bite back a grimace.

“Prof, General’s here.” Hojo swirled to the boy, eyes wide. _More of teen,_ Sephiroth conferred with himself, _if he’s in the Cadet Program._ Observing quietly, he watched as Hojo speed walked to the blond and started checking his temperature and other vitals, asking if he felt all right. _Was that real concern in the man’s voice?_ “He doesn’t remember home, avoid him.” Hojo finished, flicking his eyes towards the General, though it went unnoticed by the silver haired twenty year old.

Frowning, the nameless cadet offered “Slight headache. Better return,” hugging Hojo as he hopped off the table. _Back that thought up,_ he paused. _He hugged the Professor?_ Briefly considering the possibility this was a hallucination brought on by lack of sleep during his mission, his thoughts continued. _What. The. Fucking. Hell._

He vaguely heard Hojo mention needing to talk some more about his condition, whatever that meant. “I’ll contact a Turkey when I’ve got time. Busy man after all.”  
Sephiroth was peeved. He was being ignored. _Blond twerp doesn’t know what Hojo is really like._ The boy had _laughed_ when Hojo said Turkeys. Was that an inside joke? Who was this boy to have inside jokes with the Professor? What was their relationship? Who is this blond interference? Something just felt _wrong_ about this situation to Sephiroth. _Very, very wrong._

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~X~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

As the boy left, Hojo felt lighter inside than he had in so many years. Cloud had grown so much, but retained a cute and innocent aura that was surprising for a fourteen year old to still have. _Ech, whatever._ He pushed the sentiment down. Now he had his own son to deal with, though he’d done what he could to ensure the boy didn’t remember him as his father. That was a large part of why he’d changed his looks so drastically. Every night Hojo went home and cleaned the grease out of his hair, took the useless glasses off, peeled the latex off to remove the forced wrinkles, and straightened his spine and shoulders. Oh, to be sure, he _hated_ hunching his shoulders the most, It could leave him with permanent damage, but he had to keep the guise up. The things he had to do, on order from President Shinra, and on his own to build his son’s tolerance to both physical and mental pain, he did not want the boy to know his own father inflicted these tortures upon him. He had to give him someone to hate, someone to blame. Someone-  
“Since when am I not highest on your priority list, _professor_?” his thoughts were interrupted.  
“Oh quit glaring _General,_ you know it doesn’t affect me.” _Someone to utterly despise._ He finished his internal rant. _Sephiroth must never despise himself._

Sephiroth thought on the Professor’s response, eyes trailing the door as it still swung after the blond’s departure. “Apparently him either. Who was that just now? I do not recognise his face despite having memorised the cadet profiles and he wore no nameplate. That is against regulation, I should write him up.”  
Hojo had stilled at this, before calmly turning back to the test results. They hadn’t quite finished when Sephiroth arrived, he’d have to send them to Tseng and Lazard. “ _That_ dear boy, is the one person you should leave alone. You will do more harm than good where he is concerned.” The silver haired general sneered at this, highly doubtful.  
“I would harm him no more than he does himself, is he is intentionally associating with you.” He caught a slight wince in Hojo’s attitude. _Oh my, have I found your weakness, good professor?_  
He readjusted his thoughts however, when Hojo stopped, and turned slowly with the most serious expression he’d ever seen the man wearing.  
“I will ignore his presence.” Sephiroth conceded, silently adding _for now…_  
Hojo took a deep breath of relief, and gestured to the examination table. “Then let us proceed.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **A/N:** Again, sorry I couldn’t fit the lunch scene in this chapter, but… **I’m posting chapter 13 later tonight!**


	8. Toast

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two years. Cloud was furious. Two years he had been applying to join SHINRA’s army, every time a recruiter came to Nibelheim.  
> Over the weekend the Turks experience a security breach, and a week later Turk headquarters are disrupted by the laughter of a noisy redhead, after having found a video posted by one of the most notorious hackers on the darknet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **A/N:** Breakfast/Lunch with Gen. + some other stuff. Kind of short because it was supposed to be part of chapter 12.
> 
>  **Disclaimer:** I own nothing but the plot, and my writing style.

The following morning, Saturday as it was, found Cloud sleeping in late. Going to bed at crazy hours, courtesy of Reno, had disrupted his sleep cycle. Worse, the bed had still not arrived for his room in Tseng’s apartment yet so he had curled up on the couch all week, as he was now, wrapped in a rich brown fleece blanket, a few blond spikes sticking out. At least the couch was damn comfortable.

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~G!~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

Genesis was **NOT** happy. His precious spare time during which he usually read loveless, had been traded off to some little no-name cadet as if it were a company asset. He hadn’t even been told the brat’s name. He was definitely not happy. He was furious. His silent Turk escorts said nothing as he was lead to Tseng’s home apartment on the 65th floor.

Why on Gaia they were meeting up here he could only guess, but at least the Wutaian man had taste, Genesis thought as the door opened. Tseng nodded but he swept past and dramatically collapsed in an armchair. “Where is the little twerp and how long am I required to be here?” He asked, looking around the room. A blanket on the leather couch shuffled, and he picked up soft breathing coming from beneath it.

“I was informed you have not eaten yet. You are here to have breakfast and possibly lunch. You will stay as long as necessary. You are not to damage anything _including_ him.” Tseng gestured as a spiky platinum head of hair peeked out of the blanket. Genesis did a doubletake. _Natural_ spiky platinum. No roots showing, no bleach smell for SOLDIER senses to pick up, no hair products either. The soft spikes bobbed slightly as a young boy sat up, and Genesis unintentionally sucked a breath of air in quickly enough it was audible. _Massive_ crystalline, cerulean blue eyes opened up.

Blonds were rare to see nowadays with the interracial breeding, but the combination of blond hair and blue eyes was nearly extinct as blue eyes themselves. Genesis had seen perhaps four in his lifetime, two being Shinra’s boys, but none of them had ever had quite such delicate accompanying facial features. Near the door, Tseng’s lip twitched.

“Trust you can take it from here.” the Wutaian nodded at the boy, who returned it with a stretch and a silent yawn. The remaining Turks left and closed the door on their way out.

Genesis stared at the boy, clearly not fully awake yet. Murmuring softly to himself, _“infinite in mystery is the gift of the Goddess… for that is surely what you are.”_ He was even more shocked when the boy unconsciously finished with _“we seek it this and take it to the sky.”_ He yawned again, focussing on Genesis. Eyes widening more than Genesis thought possible, he rushed “Auburn Angel!” standing fulling and allowing the blanket to fall to the floor. As he calmed himself and picked the blanket up to fold and set on the couch, Genesis noted the black, silk, much too large pyjamas and mused _they must be Tseng’s._

“I demand your name, young man.” The boy’s brows lowered, almost glaring. Finally realising the kid had addressed him by his fan account name, which he used to follow various people on the net, he decided he must have seen it in the comments on some page and guessed it was the Red Commander. Meaning the kid had to be following someone he was. “Your name, boy. I will not ask again.” He repeated more forcefully. His growing frustration emerged as the boy rose from the couch and headed for the fridge. Slamming the cadet’s back against the wall, palms on either side of his head, he froze. 

The boy was short, his face at shoulder level. Realising how close he was, he backed off only for the boy to turn and head for the fridge again. Abandoning thoughts of more forceful methods, he threw his hands up and settled in at the table. “At least tell me why I’m here, instead of a quiet place reading.” He said softly with a sigh. It wasn’t so much of an order, more a suggestion. An attempt at a conversation. The boy was collecting various fruits, pear, banana, frozen mango cubes. Much to his delight, the cadet spoke, but very briefly, leaving his curiosity unsatiated.

“Wanted to meet.” The blond placed the fruit in a blender on the counter. Picking up a cold tea mug, probably Tseng’s, rose by the smell of it, the kid looked into it, shrugged, and dumped it in the blender before putting the mug in the dishwasher.  
Genesis, observing, waits for the boy to continue. He put down two pieces of bread in the toaster, caps and starts the blender, only wince at the noise. _Must have extremely sensitive hearing then._

The blender finished and the toast popped up at roughly the same time, and Genesis found himself looking straight into the boy’s eyes once more, as he seemed to consider something. As those eyes lit with determination, he had to concede the cadet was damn efficient. _In fact, I do believe he reminds a little of the General,_ he mused, as the teen poured two glasses of smoothie, dropped the toast on a plate and brought it all to the table he was seated at. The plate was set in the middle, though one of the drinks was slid across to where Genesis sat.

“Wanted to meet my biggest fan.” Blondie said as he sat down. He hadn’t been given a name yet and refused to keep calling him boy, or teen, or cadet. Either way, it was said quietly in a soft, delicate tone, and was followed by his self introduction. “Strife. Cloud Strife.”

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~G~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

Sputtering at the mere _idea_ he would be this boy’s fan, Genesis quickly recomposed himself, offering “I know no one by that name.” to which he received a snort. Bristling at the blatant disrespect, he was about to reprimand him, but before he could Cloud continued. _That has to be a fake name._  
“Course not. Know me as StormCloud.” Cloud took a bite of his toast, watching the red commander’s reactions. The auburn stared unbelieving, yet sensing no lie, no raised heartbeat or dilated pupils. _Could this, this-_  
“Age?”  
“14” Genesis bit back a bitter laugh, _this 14 year old be StormCloud? Truly? What were the Turks doing with---- Oh. Oooooooh, the video. The video released of SFC surveillance made into a comedy home movie. Surveillance. Security. This little 14 year old, this Cloud Strife, oh what a name, is a security risk to the entire company._ His mental gears began to turn. _This Cloud has the power to rain all the dirty information and knowledge the company was hiding onto the people of the world._

“Part time Turk. Undercover cadet for weapons training. Alias, Pete Krut, sir.” Cloud enlightened him, a slight uplift at the right corner of his mouth. Genesis honestly couldn’t tell if it was a smirk or a smile, but he knew his work for the day could wait.

“And to think I was upset about not getting to read Loveless.” he took a sip of the unfamiliar smoothie. The red Commander suddenly found the had _much_ more to talk about, as he picked up and bit into his toast. _Much more indeed._

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~S~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

Meanwhile on the 69th floor, the silver haired General watched a scraped together video of SFC surveillance, Angeal seated next to him after helping him home from the labs this morning. The raven haired SOLDIER watched with growing concern as the General’s pupil’s contracted into thin vertical lines. Of all the things, Sephiroth could take no more.

He had just returned from a ridiculously long mission in Wutai that a brainless SOLDIER Third could have carried out, found an _unnamed_ blond cadet _JOKING_ with the professor, spent a few mildly painful hours with the _oh so loving_ Professor, and had to be helped back to his own lifeless apartment the morning after, all of which concluded with the watching of a video made from _stolen_ surveillance because the Turks couldn’t do their own _gaiadamn JOB._

A silver eyebrow twitched. And a silver blur was all that could be seen as the SOLDIER General made his way down to the Turk floor despite his slow recovery from the lab, Angeal calling behind him to slow down, to calm himself, to think rationally. Telling him he hadn’t finished the briefing, that he should have started with the explanations first. Sephiroth heard only a slight whining in the back of his senses, and the raven Commander’s pleas went unheard.

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~S~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

By the time he had thundered down the stairs to the 64th floor, the Turk offices, they knew he was coming. He didn’t know if Angeal had called them, or if their own floor security had caught sight of him in the staircase, but they were waiting for him. 

As he burst out into the common space of the Turk headquarters, the mako in his eyes had flared and were glowing fiercely with his heightened emotions. He’d been training to keep them off his face, to keep his expression neutral, but nothing he did would ever hide his eyes. He was enraged, and wouldn’t stop until either something or someone was destroyed, or the filthy culprit responsible for this violation of his privacy was caught. And of course the ones assigned to catch the criminal were the ones who lost to him in the first place, the _Turks._

All of whom were now standing, weapons raised, in an arc around his person, waiting to see what his intentions or reasons were. And there, in the center of them, was Tseng. Three years older than Sephiroth himself, and a department head, the Wutaian had been the closest he’d had to a brother throughout his life. They had been introduced the day he arrived in Midgar with his father, whom he could scarcely remember, from their old home which he also failed to remember. The day he met Professor Hojo and everything had gone wrong, Tseng was his only solace, and now he stood in his way. 

He could tell simply by the expression on the Wutaian’s face, he would get no answers from the Turks. And try as he might, they yielded nothing.  
Yes, he was SHINRA property. Yes, the disgusting Professor controlled his life. Yes, the people loved his public image. But he was _human,_ he could _feel,_ and at the moment, _nothing felt good._

"Do not start this Sephiroth." Tseng warned. "There is nothing we can say." The Wutaian knew this was coming then.  
"A name, all I want is a name." his voice rang out. He could see it in their eyes, all of them. They knew who it was. They had been hacked, successfully at that, and yet they were holding him back. "Not only is this a risk to the company, to all of us, _they invaded my privacy, Tseng._ They shared _personal_ moments not even the rest of SOLDIER knows-"  
"The President is aware of the situation, Seph..." Reno offered, though he trailed off under the glare he received.

Turning to each of them, looking deep into every single pair of eyes in the room, he voiced his anger in a tone so low and smooth it was hard to hear. "I will find the responsible party, Tseng. And I will cut their fingers and toes off one by one, and force them down their throat before I take them to Hojo and let him experiment on them for the rest of their miserable lives. They will beg for death."

None could deny the anger, the danger, the threat in his words, but they could do nothing. The President had issued a classification on the situation that stonewalled them. Cloud was simply too valuable to kill and dispose of, so there was no Cloud Strife in Midgar at the moment. The hacker had not been found. Pete Krut was just a cadet. And they were not to speak a word to anyone. Of the entire SHINRA corporation, only the Shinra bloodline, the executives, and the Turks could know Cloud Strife's identity as the hacker known as StormCloud, and it would stay that way unless the President himself, or Cloud, decided otherwise.

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~S~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

Within minutes he was in a VR training room, sending SOLDEIRs scurrying to get out of his way, out of the room because they knew that look in his eye. And when he finished there, the panels split open by masamune and the electrical shot worth shit, he moved to the second, then the third VR room, but none of them provided the release he needed, a way to diffuse the pent up anger and frustration. He could shove it into the deepest recesses of his being, of his mind but every once in a while, Sephiroth _snapped._

And so did a lot of monster bodies once he moved out of the compound and headed for the slums.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **A/N:** Breakfast scene wasn’t disappointing was it? Felt a bit weird to me.


	9. Into A Rage

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two years. Cloud was furious. Two years he had been applying to join SHINRA’s army, every time a recruiter came to Nibelheim.  
> Over the weekend the Turks experience a security breach, and a week later Turk headquarters are disrupted by the laughter of a noisy redhead, after having found a video posted by one of the most notorious hackers on the darknet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Disclaimer:** I own nothing but the plot, and my writing style.

    It was closing on dinner time when the call came in, his PHS disrupting the light conversation. He hadn’t realised just how long he’d been in Tseng’s apartment, talking to Cloud. They’d discussed a number of things, from hometowns to hacking to the SOLDIER program. One such topic led Genesis to believe that Cloud knew quite a bit surrounding the origins of the top three SOLDIER First Class, and when pressed for information the blond had revealed he knew the General before he came to SHINRA, that the despised Professor Hojo was in fact his godfather. That had been quite a shock, given what he’d heard about the madman from Sephiroth. He’d never questioned his General’s ranting before. Overall, he felt as though they had been friends for much longer than the day they’d spent together.

    “One sec Cloud.” he held a hand out, indicating he ought to answer the device ringing on the coffee table by the couch. They’d moved to the leather seating after an hour or two sitting at the table. Cloud was tucked up against his side like he’d never had someone to lean on before, and judging by the pursed lips and hesitant tone when he talked of Nibelheim, that wasn’t far from the truth. Now though, the teen nodded and silenced himself. Not that he was loud to begin with.  
  

  Over the course of the day several people had tried to contact Genesis, including his secretary, but he’d rejected the calls. Cloud was much more interesting than any paperwork or office hours he might have otherwise been putting himself through. Swiping his PHS off the coffee table, he checked the name and was rather surprised to see Angeal was calling him. The raven haired Commander never called unless he was away on a mission and couldn’t contact him directly, or it was an urgent matter. Seeing as how he knew the man wasn’t off on another mission yet, Genesis decided he’d better answer it. Sliding the icon off to one side, he shifted and held the device to his ear, only to pull it a few inches away the moment Angeal realised he’d gotten through. It wasn’t a shout but with SOLDIER hearing the other man could have used half the volume he currently was. He sounded almost panicked.  
 

   _“Genesis where are you? Nevermind, your assistance is required in the outskirts. Meet me on the heli-pad ASAP.”_  
    “Ange, what’s going on?” He questioned, stifling a groan. After such a nice, peaceful day talking with his newfound… well, that had yet to be determined, his gut was telling him this was important.  
     _“Seph’s gone into a rage. The tranqs aren’t working and the Turks only seem to be making him more mad than he already is, we need to go now.”_  
  

  “Alright alright, be there in…” He glanced at cloud, who held up a few fingers. He had something he needed to say before Genesis left, then. “Five minutes. I’ll be up in five minutes.” He hung up. “Cloud, as much as I would love to continue talking it will have to wait. I have to go calm the General down.”  


Rising and turning to leave, he froze as a slight tug was felt on his shirt, having taking his usual leather coat of for comfort a few hours before. He waited.  


    “Don’t… tell him.” Genesis turned around to look curiously at Cloud. “Doesn’t remember me.” Cloud said, even quieter than normal, before he turned and bolted into his room. The door didn’t slam, but still closed quickly, leaving Genesis to wonder what that meant. It seemed ridiculous that anyone could _forget_ the blond, Genesis himself knew already he would never be able to. The idea that Sephiroth could ever- _Right, Seph._ He shook his head, scooping his renowned red leather coat up and putting it on with a flourish and heading towards the door. Just as he was about to grasp the handle, the annoying red headed Turk popped in, glancing at him momentarily before going to find Cloud. There was a hand shaped bruise around his neck, and another one blossoming on his cheek. About to make a comment about being ignored, Genesis decided against it and made his way out, breaking into a sprint for the stairwell at the end of the hall. By the time he made it to the roof Angeal was seated in a chopper with the rotors already whirring noisily above, frowning at him. _Oh this is not going to be good._

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~G~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

    As soon as the door was closed, the chopper took off and Angeal briefed him on the current situation. He’d been shown the video without explanation beforehand and Angeal hadn’t managed to calm him down enough to explain any more than that. Though there wasn’t much he could say to begin with. Officially the hacker was still at large somewhere out in the world and the Turks were still hunting. He’d reprimanded the man for not explaining things first, and judging by the sheepish look on Angeal’s face, he blamed himself for the current situation.

    “He went to the Turks and they stonewalled him, including Tseng. Three of the VR rooms are down, one gym is destroyed, and the people in sector 4 Slums are reporting a silver demon with glowing eyes in the ducts. Pretty sure they know it’s our General but his behaviour is… not convincing.”  
    “I see. Where is Tseng?”  
    “Aiming Scarlet’s new tranq gun at him.” The raven haired man muttered under his breath.  
    “He’s _what!?_ That’s not going to _help_ it will only make things worse!” _How on Gaia had things gotten this out of hand in a few hours? Oh wait, it hasn’t been a few hours, it’s been-_ ”Angeal… When did you show him the video?” His fellow Commander looked at him, as though the question itself pained him to answer.  
  

  “Gen, it was ten in the morning. We couldn’t find you either but the Turks said to leave you be.” Genesis groaned at the implications, before Angeal continued.

“After the VR rooms and the gym, he left the compound. We couldn’t find him, his PHS went offline. By the time we located him he was in the outskirts fighting a very big group of reportedly _large_ Zoloms.” The man grimaced as he paused for a breath. “They’re all down now but he’s been bitten several times, and the reports have sent Hojo” Genesis for once didn’t flinch at the name, “out of his mind, running around the lab. The assistants say he’s screaming about molecular agitation and some unstable isotope of mako. And none of the usual methods are bringing Seph down. They’ve stuck him with enough tranqs he should be dead, and no one can get close enough to to take him down manually. Reno managed to catch him with his EMR on highest voltage but it he didn’t even flinch.”  
 

   Genesis smirked lightly. _So that’s where the bruises came from,_ he mused. _‘Bout bloody time someone put the punk in his place._ “So we’re trying to resolve this _without_ using Scarlet’s new toy, and keeping him in one piece?” A nod.  


“If only I hadn’t answered the damned PHS.” Genesis muttered under his breath. “Was having such a wonderful time getting to know him.” Unfortunately Angeal’s hearing picked it up and he turned that glare on him. It was the glare that made him spill his secrets when they were younger. Very annoying, seeing as Angeal was a year younger than him.  
  

  “What pray tell, were you doing before I called you? What could be more important than our friendship?”  
   

  _Oh I’ll have questions to answer later,_ he swore in his head. “Nothing Ange, just tired of all this drama.” _Okay that wasn’t the smartest thing to say,_ Genesis told himself. Now his friend was looking at him as though he didn’t know him. Drama was his forte. Shrugging the suspicious look off, he unsheathed Rapier as the chopper landed, and prepared himself as best he could. _Sometimes,_ he wished, _it would be nice to have an undo button for my mouth, so I could take back the stupid things I say without thinking._ And with that he hopped out of the chopper, disregarding the blades still spinning above his head, and moved out with Angeal at his side. There was so much blood in the area, he wondered how much of it was Sephiroth’s. And how on Gaia Sephiroth didn’t remember anything from Nibelheim. And what the chainsaw incident was. Cloud had finally let out a quiet laugh when he refused to tell.

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~R~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

    Reno had entered as soon as Gen left. He had to take Cloud to the offices. A soon as the General had landed the blow to his face, Tseng had sent him off to do recovery. They had to shelter this event from the media, keep the people believing the General was as stable as SHINRA made him out to be. Tenderly pressing on his bruising cheekbone, he wondered how much work he would actually have to do now that Cloud was working for them. On some level, he felt threatened by the blond. Younger, better with technology, he knew he might be replaced as the head tech geek. But Cloud had no kill orders written into his contract, he wasn’t a full Turk. And that was what he kept in mind as he opened the door to see the younger teen sitting in a corner of his room, staring up and out of the window. It wasn’t hard to forget what threat he posed to the company when he looked like this. Innocent, sweet, kind. It being Saturday, he wasn’t in his Cadet uniform. The grey jeans and grey hoodie were so neutral, his facial features stood out all the more. Smooth skin, straight pointed nose. Cheekbones that were not very high but stood out nonetheless. And the almost pained gaze in his eyes as he looked out into the greenish gray clouds over midgar-  


    “Please don’t stare.” his thoughts were interrupted. _Right,_ he reminded himself, _have to contain the news._  
    “Sorry yo, jus’ thinkin. Got work to do Cloud, cover up to write.”  


    Cloud stood, facing the window fully. Under the guise of stretching, he wiped the back of his knuckles under his eyes to remove any possible trace of moisture, and turned around. Slipping his boots on, he headed for the door, Reno trailing after him as the found their way to the stairs. It hadn’t taken the other Turks very long to figure out why he avoided the elevator. _That_ was a story still circulating the office. Not all of the Turks had returned from missions yet, but Reno was definitely looking forward to seeing Elena’s face when she heard Cloud had collapsed and Tseng had picked him up princess style while the blond was unconscious. _Still have the pictures to prove it yo._ He swiped his card through the slide at the door to the stairs. Which reminded him they still needed to get their newest member his own security clearance card. For now though, they had work to do and rumours to squash.

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~H~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

    As Cloud and Reno settled into the central computer station, so too did a certain scientist less than ten floors down. He’d been working on a few samples of Sephiroth’s cells when the bonded Demonako molecules began acting up. It wasn’t unusual for them to vibrate significantly when the boy was upset, but it appeared the Earthian and Gaian isotopes were threatening to split apart at the moment. They had only done this seven or eight times while he was studying them, and it usually corresponded with Sephiroth losing control over his emotions. That never boded well.

    When the reports started coming in that the General had gone ballistic, he busied himself with preparing the back lab. Hollander’s boys would no doubt be able to subdue him and bring him in, but by all reports the usual tranquilisers weren’t working. That meant the reinforced straps on the examination table would have to hold him until Hojo managed to find something that would sedate him. “Might need extra guards for this.” he muttered to an assistant who was staring wide eyed at him. It was only then he realised he’d been yelling his thoughts aloud. _Good Gaia, I must have sounded like a madman._ He chuckled to himself. _Well, that was the point of the disguise, right? Might as well put on a show._ He slowly morphed the chuckle into a cackle, smiling at the assistant. “You. Go find three or four off-duty SOLDIER Seconds for me. _You_ ,” he pointed at a lab tech that had been bothering him lately, the man flinched, “Bring the head Turk here as soon as you can.” And with that he continued muttering about mako isotopes, causes for molecular agitation, and needing to explain things properly to someone named Cloud. If the other lab attendants hadn’t thought he was insane yet, they surely would now. _Wonderful._

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~X~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

     Roughly two hours later, Genesis, Angeal, a few SSCs, and the leader of the Turks were in his personal lab in the back of floor 57, the General strapped to the examination table with a gag in his mouth. The mako running through his blood had burned through every sedative they tried, and in the end they’d given in to Genesis’ request to stop the incessant death threats spewing from the General’s mouth. He’d heard of the failed briefing from Angeal, about the confrontation from Tseng, and the containment efforts from Genesis. The SOLDIER Seconds had helped hold their General down while the other Firsts strapped him into the table, and now he sent them on their way with a look that said they might be his next experiment if they lingered too long.  


    “I’ll need to talk with him soon, Turk. This is only the beginning of our problems.” He looked at Tseng, who frowned slightly but nodded. So far the scientist had done nothing to indicate he might hurt Cloud. Quite the opposite really. Glancing at the three SOLDIER Firsts in the room, the Turk Commander stepped closer to Hojo and motioned with his chin for the two Commanders to leave. When Genesis made no move to turn and go, Angeal paused by his side, sensing more to the conversation than he was aware of.  
 

  “By _him_ I assume you mean Striclo.” Genesis sounded out, using an abbreviated name Cloud had given him earlier to keep his full name out of it. Clearly, Hojo knew the nickname for what it was as he froze, giving Genesis a death glare.  


   “Commanders _Rhapsodos,_ Hewley,” Hojo’s voice sounded out, much stronger than before, “Take your leaves.” It wasn’t a suggestion. Before either could retort though, Tseng broke the tension.  
   

 “You may stay, Rhapsodos,” Hojo looked at the Wutaian in with heavily hidden confusion. Shinra had not listed Genesis on the list of those aware of the situation regarding Cloud, “But Hewley must leave.” They received a nod. Before Angeal caught on to what was happening, Genesis had guided him out the door with a hand on his lower back, only to step back into the labs and close the doors behind himself, listening as the locking mechanism hissed shut. Angeal stared baffled at the door, before starting off to find his pup. He could interrogate his auburn friend later. He _would_ later. For now though, he had to check in on his student, make sure Zack wasn’t getting into more trouble than he already was this month.

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~X~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

    Back in the Lab, Hojo stared at Genesis, then turned to give Tseng a disapproving look.  
 

  “His decision Professor, not mine.” The Wutaian said in response. “It was one of his conditions.” Hojo snorted. That was very much like Cloud. He got his way one way or another.  


   “So,” Genesis began. “I get the impression from your godson you aren’t _quite_ as insane as you’d have everyone believing.” Another glare.  


   Hojo didn't know how much Cloud had told the red Commander, but he clearly knew more than enough to be an ally if things didn’t go well. _Speaking of things not going well,_ he turned to see his son finally asleep on the table. After being gagged, his anger had settled somewhat and with it the mako running through his bloodstream. That had allowed what little sedatives remaining in him to knock him out. Sighing, the Professor turned back to the other two and motioned to a side office, into which they proceeded.

    “He will likely be out cold for a day or two, and somewhat disoriented for another few.” Hojo started. “Genesis, you may need to return him to his apartment. Tseng, I need to talk to him. _Soon._ It will not take the General long to piece this together and I’m sure Ayira warned you.” The Wutaian stiffened.  
 

  “There was…. an additional condition concerning liquid mako exposure.” he conceded. “SOLDIER Cadets receive mako testing at the start of next month. Bringing him earlier will draw too much attention.” Hojo acknowledged this with a low hum.

    This time it was Genesis’ turn to straighten up, listening intently. Cloud hadn't mentioned a fourth condition, meaning it was either meant to be kept private, or Cloud was unaware. Either way, he couldn’t help but be curious even as he lugged the general up out of the restraints and pulled an arm around his neck. _Good Gaia this boy is turning the whole place on it’s head. And damn you Seph, why the hell are you so heavy!?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **A/N:** Next chapter will probably just be some filler stuff. Otherwise the plot moves too fast. I'll see what I can come up with.


	10. So Much For A Quiet First Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two years. Cloud was furious. Two years he had been applying to join SHINRA’s army, every time a recruiter came to Nibelheim.  
> Over the weekend the Turks experience a security breach, and a week later Turk headquarters are disrupted by the laughter of a noisy redhead, after having found a video posted by one of the most notorious hackers on the darknet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **A/N:** Zack gets introduced in this chapter. Sort of.
> 
>  
> 
>  **Disclaimer:** I own nothing but the plot, and my writing style.

         Sunday came and went, sitting in Tseng’s apartment dreading the next day. Cloud wasn’t used to interacting with people on such a regular basis, and tomorrow he would be thrust into a world of sweaty cadets working their asses off to get into SOLDIER. He didn’t want to be in SOLDIER anymore, after his applications to the cadet program had been refused. Honestly, he doubted he ever truly _wanted_ to be in SOLDIER in the first place. Cloud had read some of Hojo’s entries in the computer logs in Nibelheim. They weren’t supposed to be there but a few had been left behind on the SOLDIER process. It sounded painful.

        It was more than just a desire to see Sero again, who apparently did not remember him. _General Sephiroth,_ he reminded himself. Childhood nicknames would just confuse people and he didn’t like having to repeat himself. But here he was, standing in his room in a cadet uniform. _“You’ll be undercover for us,”_ Tseng had said, _“Picking out the ones using enhancement drugs to alter their performance and recieving varied weapons training as well.”_

         _And finding my own personal bullies no doubt,_ He snorted. For now though, it was 4 in the morning on Monday, and his class assignments were on the page in his hand. He’d been looking at the building maps last night on the laptop he’d been given. They couldn’t trust him enough yet to let him use the one he brought from Nibelheim, it was still being looked at by one of the other Turks. The cadet facilities were floors were 17 to 23. All cadet lectures were on floor 18, training rooms on 19. That was where he had to be in two hours. _Okay three, but I like to be an hour early when I can._ Floors 20 and 21 were the dorm apartments, thankfully divided into four sections on each floor that were walled off from each other. That meant it would take the cadets longer to figure out he wasn’t living with them, they would have to ask every group and with the schedules rotating off and on it would prove difficult. 

        Cafeteria was floor 22, cadet study lounge was 23. That would probably be a quiet floor but if they found him there he’d be cornered too easily. Tseng had mentioned he had to spend his class breaks in areas cadets have access to in order to minimise suspicion. He had to find spaces to escape to when needed, like he’d done at home. If the small number of village children had a problem with him, no doubt he’d be picked on here as well, especially entering the program two months late. At least Nibelheim wasn’t all in one building, and he had security clearance to go wherever he wanted there. Here, he had the ability to go where he wanted but breaking the limits the President and Tseng had set would not end well. As he began lacing his boots, he reminded himself that as a last resort, he could always slip into the infirmary and lock himself in a patient room. Or get to know the staff well enough they let him hang around. Hell, he could probably help them out with some of the injuries. 

        Hojo left a _lot_ of medical books in the mansion library. And he learned to treat himself before going home. _Mom would never let me leave the house again if she’d seen some of the wounds I’ve had._ Cloud smirked, dropping a hand to his left hip. Admittedly, the first time he startled a dragon’s nest they hadn’t appreciated it. There was a bit of a scar left there, but it only stood as a reminder of home, of his mother. Of Viva, Nykulos, and a few other less than human friends from the mountain. He found he missed them more than he’d thought he would.

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~C~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

         By the time Cloud managed to slip down to his first class, a lecture on political positions within SHINRA’s various departments, it was close to 6:30. He’d meant to be there by 6 but Tseng had heard the blender and gotten up to speak with him, remind him of what he was looking for, quizzing him on symptoms of the more common enhancement drugs. The Turks were looking to track down the sources, in which case he needed to identify the users and find common links for the others to investigate. As well as passing his classes and helping the Turks with their technology. 

    The door to the lecture room slid open and an instructor moved to the front desk. 

         _Karis Lincans, SOLDIER Second Class. 36. Injured in Wutai. 6’1, approximately 210 pounds._ Yes, he’d pulled the profile of each of his instructors as well as the maps last night. It helped calm his nerves a bit and distracted him from thinking about Sero. _The General, dammit,_ he scolded himself, letting out a sigh. That was apparently enough to startle the instructor, whose head shot up and eyes searched the seats in the room before settling in the back corner, on Cloud. _Right, I have to explain things to all of my instructors today._

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~X~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

        “Cadet, you’re not in my class.” Lincans said sternly, wondering why on gaia a cadet was in a lecture room this early. Most of them showed up minutes before class was supposed to start, and that was to their own classrooms. The boy continued looking at him as if he hadn’t spoken. “Cadet, what dorm group are you in? Where are you supposed to be?” More silence. He was beginning to wonder if this was even a cadet, before the blond spoke. It was soft and quiet, but his SOLDIER hearing picked it up well enough.  
        “Late addition.” Well that answered almost none of his questions.

        “To my class?” a nod. “I haven’t heard about this, who’s your supervisor?” A blank stare. Gods this was going to bury him in paperwork for a month. Setting aside the lesson plans he’d been pulling out of his briefcase, he made his way to the back of the room. The nameplate on the boy’s uniform was Krut.

        “Cadet Krut, if you don’t answer me verbally I’m going to assume this is a mistake and lock you out of my classroom. Show me your schedule and tell me who your dorm supervisor is.” Krut pulled out a slip of paper from one pocket and handed it to him. “A paper schedule?” he mused aloud, momentarily distracted. “Most cadets program this into their PHS the moment they get it…” the blond was shaking his head.  
        “Not allowed PHS privileges yet sir.” Finally, a full sentence. That didn’t help his confusion though. Krut was looking at him as if weighing his options, before offering a name he assumed was the blond’s supervisor. “Tseng.”

        It took Lincans several moments to put a face to that name, which only doubled his confusion. They spent a few moments staring at one another, before the door slid open once more and another cadet walked in, taking his seat. Parkins was always here two minutes early, so it had to be close to start time. Giving the cadet one last glance, he turned to the front but paused to say “See me after class Krut. Move to the other corner, that seat is already assigned.”

        By the time he returned to the front desk and turned around, the boy had already moved. _Odd, with Second Class enhancements I should have been able to hear that._ He mused, and watched as the cadets began filing in and filling their seats. There were a few odd glances at the blond in the back, but he held of on the introduction and began the lesson. If all the paperwork supported this, he’d introduce the boy tomorrow, and wish him good luck in catching up for the two months he hadn’t been here. For now, he had a class full of mostly cocky, arrogant cadets who would likely never make it to SOLDIER Thirds Class.

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~C~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

         The class had passed rather slowly, Cloud found. Most of this information was either entirely false, or he already knew it from hacking the archives. Based on his pained expression, Lincans clearly knew that most of it was choco-shit, but had to teach in nonetheless. _Can’t have cadets finding out what the company is really like after all, can they? Wouldn’t get enough recruits to sign up._

        Luckily the seat to his right was also empty, so no one bothered him much. Being in the back left corner, the closest cadet to him was the one in front of him who seemed inclined to ignore his presence for now, and was packing his things long before the bell sounded and everyone else rose. After that three hour class, he had ten minutes to get to the next one and knew he wouldn’t make it. He would likely be late to every class today because of having to speak with each instructor. Speaking of which, Lincans was watching him now to make sure he didn’t slip out the door. _Not like I have anywhere to run to at the moment._

        After waiting for the other cadets to clear out, he stepped forward and made his way to the larger desk at the front, behind which Lincans made to sit down. Cloud stayed standing.

        “Cadet Krut, I received no notice of your late addition. Based on the name of your supervisor, I can assume the circumstances are unique. Care to explain?” He nodded. Tseng had explained what information his instructors were allowed to know, and what he had to keep to himself.  
        “No weapons mentor available sir.” _That ought to be enough for him to piece things together._ Lincans stilled for a moment, closing his eyes. Seconds later they shot open with a new, calculating look.  
        “You’re a Turk recruit?” He asked hesitantly, looking Cloud up and down with heavy skepticism. A nod. “Gaia, how old are they recruiting these days?” Lincans muttered. The standard age for SOLDIER cadets was 16 minimum, unless the situation was special, like the General, Commanders, and Lieutenant Fair. He wasn't sure about the Turks.  
        “14. Extenuating circumstances sir.” Lincans shook his head. “All due respect…” Cloud looked at the door, then the clock.  
        “Right, yes, you’re dismissed. Get to your next class.” Cloud was almost out the door before the man called out “Wait!” and he froze. “What’s your first name, Cadet Krut?” 

        “Pete, sir.” His instructor nodded, and with that he was gone. _Perhaps I won’t be late to all my classes,_ Cloud mused as he took off down the hall.  
        Behind him, still seated at his desk, Karis Lincans was insufferably curious now. The Turks had recruited a 14 year old, stick thin, country kid from somewhere in the northern region judging by the accent, who already had skills some SOLDIER Seconds couldn’t manage. How on gaia the boy was so silent all the time, he could only wonder. Looking down at only to see the boy's paper schedule sitting on his desk. _Hope he's got it memorised already, because I'm not tracking him down to give it back_

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~X~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

         The rest of the day passed in a similar fashion to his first class. Cloud would show up to a room and confuse the teacher. They wouldn’t have time to talk without other cadets listening beforehand, so he had to stay after and repeat his explanations. The second class was two hours, ending just after noon in time for lunch, which continued until 1. His instructor had blanched at Tseng’s name, and Cloud reminded himself to look up any incident reports following the two of them. Tseng wasn’t that spooky, or so he thought.

         Lunch itself had been a pain, finding a place to sit and eat after everyone had been there for two months. They’d all picked their usual spots and he did not want to intrude or draw attention to himself. He sat and ate the oddly coloured mush in silence, keeping his head down. On some level, he knew the Turks would protect him from being seriously injured, but they couldn’t be there all the time and he didn’t want reports of him beating his bullies up with hand-to-hand skills they didn't teach here getting to the higher ups. He had to stay under the radar but maintain a good reputation. While several of them gave him suspicious looks, the cadets mostly attributed his presence to him having been moved to a different dorm group. Only four dorm groups had lunch at the same time, the other four had it just after they left the cafeteria, or that was what he managed to gather from a few conversations he overheard.

         The next hour was his first experience outside the SHINRA tower, as they all trouped down to the outdoor training grounds for core, strength, and speed training. Which really meant planks, pushups, and lots of running. He didn’t mind the running, trying to keep up with Nykulos at home was worse than this, but by the end of that hour most of his body was aching and deeply sore. He couldn’t have been happier that his next class was hand-to-hand combat training. That at least, he was good at. He still had to hide his normal skill level from everyone, it was part of the undercover work, but it was something he could relax into, zone out of, and let his mind wander around a bit. He had to appear relatively weak in the hopes of drawing out the suppliers for enhancement drugs, but he hated not putting his best effort into things. Then again, they were still learning the basics and he’d been learning from a master at it for several years. Viva had offered when a 7 year old Cloud refused to leave him alone in his coffin. They added the hacking later that year.

         The last class proved to be the largest disappointment for him though, seeing as it was also one hour long. Weapons work. This class was the only one he actually needed, and it was short as hell. They had covered generic weapons maintenance in the first month, during which Commander Hewley had offered his assistance, and basic guns in the second month. He wasn’t disappointed to have missed either of those since now they were working with basic dagger blades. Swords, he’d been told, were the last thing they’d learn to use. They had to get through throwing knives and nunchakus and an assortment of other weapons first, and would only specialise if they made it to SOLDIER Third. That wasn’t his problem. The disappointment though, was that his primary reason for entering the cadet program was an hour long class at the end of the day, taught by a bubbly, energetic, raven haired, 17 year old SOLDIER First Class intent on calling him out and helping him every time he did something wrong, and that attention was not going to benefit him. 

        Already he could feel the stares on his back as he made his way out of the training room a minute early. He’d managed to catch the supervising instructor, there to monitor Lieutenant Fair’s teaching methods, before class and explained his situation so he could get to the Turk offices on time. He could feel the envy and hatred rolling off of the other cadets, and knew that if he didn’t leave before them, they’d ambush him after he left. News and rumours would spread quickly, no doubt, about some spiky haired blond twerp showing up months late and getting all the attention from SFC Fair. And when they started figuring out he wasn’t in a dorm, that he didn’t really have a supervisor, that he wasn’t a real cadet, they would come after him. And it would hurt.  
         _So much for a quiet first day. Gaia damn you Lieutenant Fair._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **A/N:** Will include a little bit of Zack’s POV next chapter.


	11. Little Lost Chocobo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two years. Cloud was furious. Two years he had been applying to join SHINRA’s army, every time a recruiter came to Nibelheim.  
> Over the weekend the Turks experience a security breach, and a week later Turk headquarters are disrupted by the laughter of a noisy redhead, after having found a video posted by one of the most notorious hackers on the darknet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **A/N:** Posting early because Westercon starts tomorrow and won’t have time to update! ~(^0x0^)
> 
>  
> 
> **Disclaimer:** I own nothing but the plot, and my writing style.

        It had been a month. A whole gaia damned month and the kid hadn’t said a word to him. How could he do that? How could a cadet _not_ want to talk to a First Class, let alone to him, Lieutenant Zack Fair? It was ridiculous. It had to stop.

         For almost a month now, Zack had been watching cadet Krut. A late addition to a class of cadets was uncommon to begin with, but the kid stood out on his own. Spiky platinum hair, eyes so stunning that the simple word _blue_ could never do them justice. Short, stick thin, and so gaia damn _quiet_! It was driving him insane. Zack was by nature a very friendly, open, easy to talk to person. But the kid hadn’t said a word other than _sir_.

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Z~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

         When he first took the fall for his and Reno’s latest prank, since it was his turn, he thought he’d be stuck on cleaning duty for a week. The punishments never lasted very long because he was First Class, and there were only four total. They needed him too much to have him serving stupid punishments all the time. He _hadn’t_ expected to be given an entire hour long class to teach cadets weapon use in. 

         Admittedly, he could see why Seph thought of it. It was useful to the company, it was a good way to keep him occupied for a long period of time, out of trouble. _Okay, the latest prank had maybe, just maybe, gone a little too far,_ he admitted to himself. The chocobo was finally found in Scarlet’s office shitting on her new weapons designs. And Sephiroth was _still_ finding small feathers in some of his desk drawers. Plus they’d had to order new coffee machines for the SOLDIER offices, using Zack’s own money. Reno secretly chipped in on the side. It was a pretty widespread prank, they’d even gotten Tseng to react a little bit. The bird they put in his office thought the dot on his forehead was a bug and tried to eat it. But that was all beside the point. _I hadn’t expected to find a little lost chocobo in the weapons training class they gave me._

         Pete Krut had been admitted two months late to the SOLDIER Cadet Program. He was apparently two years under the age minimum but the rejection was overridden based on his hometown. He knew they’d take some country kids in earlier because they have a higher mako tolerance, and the town Krut came from was well known through the scientific community. There wasn’t much else in the file when he pulled it. Shuddering, he wondered what Hojo would do with the boy if they ever came in contact. That was why he wanted to be friends in the first place, to protect him. He was just so small and fragile looking, and clearly couldn’t defend himself with any kind of weapon. The kid was _horrible_ at weapons training. His other classes all had mediocre grades, which made Zack wonder if he would be a good applicant for the mentoring program, like he had been. While he still sucked at it, Krut was improving at a remarkable speed. It was easy enough to say his interest had been piqued.

        The issue was with Krut’s near determination to avoid him, not talk to him, and not even look at him. Any time he tried to give the kid advice, he seemed to shrink in on himself and his eyes would flick back and forth between the mat underneath him and all of the other cadets. He’d resolved after the first week to corner the kid and find out what was wrong, but it was proving far more difficult than he’d imagined, especially because he somehow managed to slip out the door a minute or two before class ended, and Zack hadn’t seen him outside of class yet. He couldn’t find him once class was over, and none of the other cadets or supervisors seemed to know which dorm group he was in. In fact, none of the others seemed to know anything about him except he was small, quiet, and his name was Pete Krut. The guy monitoring his teaching methods had simply said the kid had unique circumstances that let him leave class early, but wouldn’t tell him what they were. It all came down to the fact that Pete Krut was a complete mystery to everyone around him, and Zack had a feeling the kid wasn’t putting all his effort into class.

        Not only had he been unable to find the teen, weird-ass things had been happening lately. Zack had started tripping when nothing was there, the ends of his boot laces frayed even when he _just_ replaced them. At one point in Angeal’s apartment, his _hair_ had caught on fire and there was _nothing else around._ Genesis had joked he pissed the Goddess off. The worst thing that had happened was the grass in the middle of the running track he used sometimes. _I could swear it grew longer in seconds, like it curled around my feet._ It hadn’t hurt, but he started to wonder if something was wrong with his head and he was seeing things. Kind of felt like _Gaia was damning_ him or something, but at least he hadn’t been seriously injured. 

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Z~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

        As he started the class today, he had to wonder what would happen over the next couple of days, and of course he was worried for the little chocobo despite the lack of warks... _Maybe the kid’s just shy,_ he told himself. But that wasn’t where his concern lay.

        This was the last class for the week, and it was only Wednesday. They were staring into the fourth month of training, which of course meant that mako testing had to happen. That was why the long weekend was held, in case some of the cadets got sick. It wasn’t that uncommon to vomit or not move much for a few days after the first exposure, but if anyone was _really_ sick, they’d be taken to the hospital and released from the cadet program due to mako incompatibility. He didn’t want Chocobo to be one of those cadets, but he knew there was nothing he could do to prevent it. It also meant the cadets would finally meet the scientists, Hollander and Hojo. And of course Chocobo was assigned to the crazy one.

        On one hand, he’d heard from Kunsel that Hollander’s methods hurt more. On the other, it was possible that Hojo would take custody of the Chocobo and use him as a lab specimen. That couldn’t happen. In fact, Zack already had a plan to save Chocobo. Sephiroth would never let Hojo get his greasy hands on someone if he knew the man was interested. And if he had a mentor, the SOLDIER was allowed to go with him to future mako sessions. So it didn’t solve the problem of the upcoming weekend, but in the long run…. Seeing that class was almost over, he motioned to his fellow SOLDIER in the room, his monitor, and leaned sideways when the man approached to say “I need to meet with Angeal early, gotta head out soon. Would you be able to take over for the last five minutes?” The man grunted in agreement. He wasn’t supposed to skip out on his punishment, but he didn’t want to embarrass the chocobo in front of his classmates. Kid was already introverted enough. He had to catch the kid outside of class, drag him some place they could talk without everyone overhearing. He couldn’t tell why, but the other cadets didn’t seem to like Krut much. _Have to ask about that too,_ he decided, slinging his bag over his shoulder and making his way out. Pete wouldn’t be leaving for another few minutes yet, so he had time to set up his ambush. Zack grinned.

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~C~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

         He knew this was coming, it was just too obvious. Lieutenant Fair had left early, but not before shooting him a sidelong glance. A glance that the other cadets didn’t fail to notice either.

        As soon as Fair was out the door and it had swung closed behind him, Cloud found himself circled by a good portion of the class. The monitoring instructor didn’t seem to be paying much attention to what was going on, absorbed in something on his PHS, with his earbuds plugged in. _No help from there, then. Just fucking great._  
        “Think you’re something special, Krut? To have Fair watching you so closely?” One of the larger cadets bumped him lightly. He shook his head.  
        “Think he’s mute?” Another asked. Another push, more of a shove this time. He could see a few other cadets, not participating, behind the others with a look of either sympathy or pity in their eyes. None of them would help him.  
        “Nah, heard ‘im talking to my Strategies instructor first day he showed up.” One offered. “Jus’ thinks e’s too good to talk ta us lowlife cadets.”  
        “Then he’s got another thing comin.” _This isn’t good,_ Cloud turned, finding no opening. A glance at clock, he had one minute before he could leave. _But how do I get out of this before then? ___He asked himself. One of the others seemed to sense his internal dialogue, and clipped his head with a punch just to the side of one eye, sending him into an off balance stumble.  
        “Can’t have him thinking things over too much, y’know?” A wave of murmured responses as he was pushed and shoved to keep him upright in the circle.  


        The various taunts and suggestions had been breaking out in the room already, though it got noticeably louder now. Still the instructor took no notice. _Don’t fight back, don’t fight back,_ he repeated in his head, watching the seconds tick by. He had to keep a low, weak profile to draw out the drug suppliers. _Eight, seven, six, _another blow, from someone behind him to his side. _Three, two-_ The instructor looked up to see him bent over slightly, holding the side that had been punched. _One. Shit, I’m gonna be late to Tseng’s office._ The SOLDIER took in what was happening, a menacing expression taking over his face at the backs of the cadets, who had yet to notice. _Oh gaia, his eyes are greening._ Cloud thought, taking another hit to the same side, slightly higher on the bottom of his ribcage. _There he goes.___

A moment later a few cadets were sent flying into a wall, the others turning in surprise.  
“WHAT THE HELL DO YOU ALL THINK YOU’RE DOING?!” The SOLDIER bellowed out. None of them made a sound, staring in shock at the angered, enhanced man. “Krut, you were supposed to be out of here thirty seconds ago, get a move on. The rest of you lot OWE ME THREE HUNNERD FUCKING PUSH UPS! DID YOU THINK-” Cloud couldn’t hear the rest, having swiped his bag of the floor and bolted through the door. 

        He was just beginning to wonder if the day could get worse when a blur slammed into his already bruising side and took him down, lying atop him. He struggled to find a breath, feeling crushed under what he assumed to be Lieutenant Fair. He knew for a _fact_ the man had no other duties to attend to at the moment, having pulled his schedule up on Cissnei’s laptop when she left the room momentarily a few days before. He’d been waiting to ambush him since he left the training room no doubt. Cloud hid a grimace as he felt something crunch. The Lieutenant must have heard or felt it as well, as he immediately pushed himself up onto his arms. His legs were still straddling Cloud’s, pinning him to the ground. _Holy fucking Gaia, are all SOLDIERs this heavy?_ He wondered. 

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Z~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

        “SORRY!” Fair yelled, seeing the cadet wince at the volume. Dropping his voice quickly he put a hand on Krut’s side, feeling the warmth of an impending bruise. “Shit!, Did I do that? I keep forgetting you guys don’t have mako yet. You alright Chocobo?” Krut stared at him. Scratching the back of his head, the Lieutenant offered “Ah, heh, I mean Cadet, not Chocobo. Are you alright Cadet?” Krut continued to stare. After moment’s hesitation and he spoke more firmly than he should have to a superior, but it had the desired effect.  
        “ _Off. Now._ Sir.” Zack couldn’t tell if the sir was an afterthought or not, but he didn’t particularly care for formalities. No matter, he got up and offered a hand to help the cadet up. Krut glared at the hand, and Zack instinctively retracted it before it could be swatted at. The teen tried to sit up, and was clearly hiding a wince. While his body didn’t show it, the slight twitch in his eyes was enough to give it away. 

        “Dammit, that wasn’t how it was supposed to go.” Zack muttered, scooping the cadet up despite his silent protests and minimal flailing. It didn’t bother him how mad the younger teen got, he had to go to the infirmary now, but not the cadet one. They just handed out band-aids. It was his fault Chocobo was injured in the first place, so he stepped in the elevator and pushed the up button for the 40th floor. Or he tried to, the cadet was clinging to one side of the door and shaking his head. 

        “Motion sick.” was all he got, and it was enough. As much as he was interested in the little Chocobo, he would rather not have the cadet puke all over his uniform, so he headed for the stairs. _Odd,_ he thought. _Shouldn’t the other cadets have finished class by now?_

        Shrugging it off, he started up towards the 40th floor, the SOLDIER Infirmary. _Hey, at least he isn’t heavy. In fact, he’s a little too light. I wonder if he’s eating right._

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~C~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

        By the time they reached the right floor, Cloud was sure Tseng would already have sent Reno looking for him. He was supposed to be fixing a buffer overflow issue that continuously crashed one of the default programs in SHINRA’s main access system, and at this point working around a segmentation fault would be much better than having Zackary Fair cradling him like a busted doll. Thankfully one of the infirmary staff noticed the panicked First and motioned him towards a bed, on which he was set down. When one of the nurses came over to talk to them, Fair let loose a bundle of apologies and explained what had happened, not allowing Cloud a word in edgewise.

        When he finally shut up, the woman chastised him for not only injuring an unenhanced cadet, but for bringing him to the SOLDIER infirmary as well, before sending him out to wait in the hall. Once he was gone, she turned to Cloud.

        “Normally we don’t treat cadets up here, so don’t get used to it. Now let me see that side of yours.” She motioned, and he hesitated before pulling the side of his shirt up. It was already turning red with a hint of purple in two different spots. She frowned at him, and he turned his head away. “Cadet... that’s not entirely from Zack’s impact, is it?” He stayed still. She was surprised a bit when he flinched at contact, but continued prodding the darker spots. “I’ll be right back.” she sighed, letting him drop his shirt back down. 

        She returned a moment later with an older woman in a doctor’s coat and introduced the two. “Doctor Welsey, this is Cadet Pete Krut. Fair brought him in after colliding with him in an attempt to ambush him for no apparent reason.” She lifted his shirt up. Again he flinched, turning his head to the front and down to look at the bruises as they formed. The doctor sucked in a breath as he did so, kneeling and grabbing either side of his head in her hands, turning it this way and that. _Damn._ He’d forgotten about the blow to his face earlier. Clearly it was leaving a mark. 

        Welsey brushed a finger against the part of his cheek that was slowly blooming into a deep bruise, just as Reno stuck his head in the door, and, seeing Cloud, immediately made his way towards the bed. 

        “What happened yo?” He began frowning deeply as he spotted the bruises on Cloud’s side, and the one being inspected by the doctor on his face. “Doc, spill.” His tone had dropped low and deadly. Doctor Wesley turned, and sighed at the sight of a Turk. 

        “I’m assuming, given his stature and appearance, that he’s being bullied. This,” she indicated the bruise on Cloud’s face, “As well as these two darker spots on his side, are roughly fist sized. The larger one forming over those two is from Zackary Fair impacting him in a hallway ambush.” Cloud turned away again, pulling away from contact and bringing his knees up to his chest, encircling them with his arms. Reno smoothly slid between the doctor and Cloud, facing the doctor.  
        “Have you done anything yet?” He questioned.  
        “No, Fair only brought him in here a minute or two ago, but I’d like to do-”  
        “Is Fair still in the hall?” She nodded. “Find out if anything else is damaged. Do _not_ treat him with _anything_ without my permission.” He turned and stormed out the door, leaving Doctor Wesley and everyone who had heard him slightly stunned.

        Not one to question orders from a Turk, after a moment she gestured at Cloud and offered “Why don’t we just go get you x-rayed for now.” and he rose to follow. 

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~R~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

         Reno didn’t know where to start. As soon as Zack had seen him, he bounced up and asked where he’d been all month, as if nothing was wrong. As if Cloud wasn’t in the infirmary getting checked out. The worst part was, he couldn’t even be mad at Zack. He couldn’t tell him who Cloud was, or imply that he had any connection to the cadet. No one suspected Zack of handing out drugs, but the less people who knew the truth about Cloud being undercover for the Turks, more people would believe the lie.  
That didn’t prevent him from disapproving Zack’s tactics though, ambushing a cadet like that, and he made sure to voice his opinions.  
        “The fuck yo? Where do you get off attacking a cadet like that man? You could’ve crushed ‘im.”  
        “I know! I know! I wasn’t thinking, alright. And, actually I think I maybe _did_ crush something. There was a crunch… Anyway! Where the hell have you been? All month long this late addition recruit has been totally ignoring me, so I decided…..” Reno tuned him out. For the next hour they sat in the waiting hall, waiting for news on Cloud. Though it was weird to think that because Zack kept calling him Krut. Or Pete. Or _Chocobo_. He wondered if Cloud knew Zack called him that. He’d done that once or twice in Nibelheim and Cloud did _not_ like it. _At all._

        Tseng had called to check in, receiving a short report. _“Call me when you have news.”_ He’d said. That was ten or twenty minutes ago, he couldn’t keep track. It had to be the paperwork keeping them so long. It was closing on ninety minutes when Cloud finally made it out, clearly trying to stop the nurses and doctors from touching him. The bruise on his face was pretty obvious now.  
        “We didn’t give him anything, his medical profile said not to.” The nurse directed her attention to Reno. “His face should be fine but there is a slight fracture in one rib on the bruised side. He has to let it heal, not agitate it for a while so we’ve put a block in his medical file to keep him off the attendance lists until that heals. He _is_ cleared for mako testing tomorrow with the rest of his group but that’s all.” Reno nodded. 

        “Cadet, you better come with me yo.” he didn’t offer any resistance to Reno, simply following him as he walked towards the stair well. When Zack made to follow, Reno turned and shot him a glare. “Fair, go report this. A cadet in your class has three fist shaped bruises and is a likely target of bullying.”  
The First did not follow any further. 

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~T~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

        When the pair entered his office, Tseng immediately stuffed the file he was reading into a drawer and took in their appearance. Cloud’s hair was draping over one side of his face, and his uniform was creased significantly more on one side, under the arm as though it had been pulled up more than usual. Reno had failed to inform him if Cloud was injured or not, aside from the bruises, but now that they were here he could ask directly. Watching as Cloud curled himself up in one chair across from his desk, he stepped around it to stand near Reno and ask his questions. “Anything of note?”

        Reno shot him a look, before tapping the side of his face and his torso, sighing, and exiting the office. Tseng took a moment before stepping towards Cloud and resting a hand on the teen’s shoulder. It was tense, and flinched at the contact, but he relaxed slightly as Tseng lowered himself to sit on his heels in front of him.

        “Report.” He commanded, though it was softened. Cloud may be a Turk, but he was still 14 and had a lot to deal with in his life at the moment.  
        “Jealous cadets. Insane Lieutenant.” _Ah. Zack_ would _have something to do with this,_ he thought.  
        “Injuries?”  
        “Rib, slightly fractured...” There was a pause. “Mostly bruises.” He shifted to look at Tseng. The Wutaian took note of the slight discolouration behind Clouds hair, and reached out to brush it aside. The teen flinched, and closed his eyes, letting the head Turk ghost his fingers across the bruised side of his face. His eyes opened when the hand retracted, and Tseng inquired where else.

        When Cloud moved to sit up and lift his shirt, Tseng slid back to give him more space, looking a the two darker bruises within the largest one on his side. From what he gathered, Zack had left class early with an ambush in mind, and the other cadets had seen it as an opportunity to pick on the smallest member of their group. The SOLDIER left in charge was inattentive and only stopped it after the third hit. When Cloud left the training room, Zack had quite literally tackled him to the ground. _What on gaia was he thinking?_ Tseng wondered. Zack could easily way two and half, maybe three times Cloud’s weight, being as enhanced as he was. Of course, Zack _didn’t_ think things through, and that was what got him in trouble so often.

        Either way, with a SOLDIER that inattentive and a First Class so reckless, perhaps Sephiroth needed notification. There were bullies in his up and coming ranks, he should spend some time weeding them out. And reviewing instructor performances.

        Cloud later informed him he was still able and allowed to go to mako testing, which reminded him of the upcoming visit to Hojo. _With Cloud injured, will I see the side of him that Cloud seems to?_ He wondered. For now though, Cloud needed rest from an undoubtedly long day. 

        “At least the bed was finally delivered.” He offered, watching as the youngest Turk’s shoulders deflated and slumped into some strange form of contentment.  
        Yes, tomorrow he would speak with the General on behalf of the Cadets. There were several things in need of discussion. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **A/N:** "Kind of felt like _Gaia was damning_ him or something," heh. Sorry, couldn't resist that one.


	12. A Typical Mako Testing Session

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two years. Cloud was furious. Two years he had been applying to join SHINRA’s army, every time a recruiter came to Nibelheim.  
>  Over the weekend the Turks experience a security breach, and a week later Turk headquarters are disrupted by the laughter of a noisy redhead, after having found a video posted by one of the most notorious hackers on the darknet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **A/N:** This is a really rough chapter, but I need to space the events of my story out more. **If _anything_ is confusing or unclear, _please_ tell me!**
> 
> **Disclaimer:** I own nothing but the plot, and my writing style.

         As Thursday morning rolled around, Cloud woke to the aching of his injured rib as he shifted slightly. On a mattress. On his _own_ mattress, which had arrived yesterday. _Thank Gaia, no matter how comfortable Tseng’s couch is at least now I can sleep in some form of privacy,_ he thought as he sat up, one hand resting on his side.

         He knew they could have used materia to heal the bruises, and the rib for that matter, but that would be suspicious. Instead, he had to heal the normal way because cadets were rarely treated with materia. Something about wasting resources. “Chocobo shit.” He muttered under his breath. Cloud was well aware of materia properties. It wasn’t that they didn’t have enough materia, it was that no one wanted to waste their energy healing minor wounds and bruises. Most of the medical staff in SHINRA were not trained in materia use, so when they used it they were expending more energy than strictly necessary. Either way, the other cadets had seen him get hit. If he showed up without the bruises that were supposed to be there, they’d think it was special treatment, or know something was wrong. Not that many of them would guess he was an undercover Turk, but they still might associate the use of cure materia with high level personnel and not want to get involved. _That_ would not help the Turks pick out the idiots using or distributing drugs. _Speaking of drugs,_ he rose and slipped a shirt on, making his way to the restroom at the end of the hall. _Mako testing is today,_ he smiled as he began his morning routine. Meanwhile, the door across from his opened quietly and a rather ruffled looking Wutaian stepped out.

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~T~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

         Tseng was already awake when he heard the teen get up. He actually _heard_ it. For the first time since his arrival it seemed Cloud’s habitual silence had broken as he made his way to the restroom. First it was the footsteps, then the faucet. He wondered if Cloud was simply focused on something else, or was finally relaxing around him. Tseng himself had been awake thinking about the growing list of things he’d need to do today, including the lab meeting with the Professor. Now as he watched the teen through the open door down the hall, he couldn’t help but wonder what it was that made the boy so special, so different. He wanted to know the underlying condition Ayira Strife had mentioned, and how Hojo knew about it. 

        From the files he’d managed to pull, Tseng knew that Rindan Hojo, currently 44 with highly advanced medical and mako based knowledge had been stationed in Nibelheim for over ten years prior to entering midgar. During his time in Nibelheim he was studying the various effects of mako on humans as well as another highly classified substance. It was a breakthrough in his mako studies that lead to the creation of the SOLDIER program. Nevertheless, the time he spent there was more than enough to form relations with the natives. One document mentioned a woman hired for cleaning and food preparation within the mansion, and the employment profile photo confirmed it as Ayira Strife. Other that that, there was no information on any further relation the two might have had, and no mention of Cloud. Sighing, he made his way into the kitchen.

        They’d developed a strange form of routine in the mornings, one that did not involve a lot of talking. If he made it to the kitchen first, he’d put a slice of bread in the toaster for the blond. Cloud would set the tea to brew and make himself a smoothie. At one point or another, they’d sit down at the table until they had to leave, either reading or just enjoying the quiet. Eventually, Reno would show up to escort Cloud to the cadet floors, as he did now, waltzing in and practically throwing himself into a chair. Despite Cloud having a security clearance card, the constant surveillance was still a requirement for now, unless in cadet quarters where the other officers could monitor him. There also were no network connected computers available and Cloud’s PHS was specially modified to not allow any _unusual_ activity. Shortly after those two left, Tseng would take his leave of the apartment and head to the Turk offices. Not today though, first he had business with the Professor.

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~H~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

         It hadn’t started out this way, back in Nibelheim. When Cloud was born, he had nothing to do with the child. Eventually though, those bright blue eyes wormed their way into his head and lowered his guard. Yes, Hojo had developed a bit of a protective streak once Cloud was old enough to walk and follow him around. He could see the unspoken curiosity in the boy’s eyes as he worked with mako samples. It wasn’t common for kids that age to have an interest in science, so Hojo had taken to explaining what he was doing to the boy, even if he wouldn’t understand it. By the time he realised the habit had formed, it was too late to get rid of it. It was that habit that had the lab assistants scurrying out of his way now, as he muttered about the mako testing procedure and needle gages used for the cadets. 

         Today, he’d get to see Cloud again, one on one. For that he was glad indeed, they had so much to talk about. He highly doubted Ayira had explained anything to the younger blond about his genetics and the mako isotopes in his body. He also knew the boy, _teen,_ he corrected, then paused. _Turk,_ he decided. He knew the Turk would have questions about the extent and causes of Sephiroth’s memory loss. The image of that small frown last time he was in the labs was burned into his head, much like the image of ten years ago when Hojo had taken Sephiroth and left for Midgar. There was pain there, very hard to notice but present nonetheless. It did not show in Cloud’s eyes, it never did, and the subtle expressions on the new Turk’s face hid it just as well, but Hojo knew it was there. He had much to explain. Unfortunately, Cloud was scheduled as the last appointment so he had to wait the entire day, but that meant they’d have more time to talk. 

        He also had to speak with Tseng to work out the false mako testing results, which he would get out of the way first, seeing the Wutaian man slip into the room behind an assistant. _Why on earth do we have automatic locking doors if anyone can slip like that,_ Hojo sighed, nodding and taking off towards his back office.

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~X~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

 

         As Tseng entered the office room, Hojo was just taking his seat behind the desk and clearing a stack of papers off to the side. He followed the gesture to sit down, and took a low breath in. The Professor closed his eyes for a moment, before the two locked eyes and began.

         Over the course of the next hour, Hojo worded himself carefully, talking around certain questions but still answering them vaguely enough to be useful. When the bullying incident was brought up, Tseng did likewise after sensing Hojo’s quiet rage. Eventually though, they managed to sorted out the details and decided what Cloud’s mako response and sensitivity scale ratings would be, and the head Turk left to go keep an eye on a certain church in Sector Five.

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Z~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

         He couldn’t find the little Chocobo anywhere. As far as Zack had learned, Pete Krut was not living in any of the designated cadet dorm floors, nor did any of the supervising officers claim him as under their jurisdiction. With mako testing but no classes, _Krut_ had to be in the SHINRA tower or on the training fields somewhere, and the thought that Professor Creep-show might have- “Owwwww! What was that for?” He asked, thoughts broken up by a whack to the back of his head.  
         “You’re focus is worse than usual today. What is it?” his mentor asked. _Riiiiight, I’m supposed to be training…_  
         “Sorry Angeal, it’s nothing!” Zack smiled, hoping it looked genuine. “Won’t happen again, I swear!” and with that he set back to training. While he was hoping Angeal would let it slide, he did see the slight frown on the other First’s face. 

        Unfortunately for Zack, it did happen again. And again, and again, and _I’m going to have a permanent dent in my skull,_ he thought as he overbalanced and his ass it the floor for the umpteenth time, _or one of those big red bumps they get in cartoons-_ he cut himself off, dodging as Angeal made a move to hit him again. Only, it wasn’t to hit him he realised. It was to help him to his feet.  
        “Zack, what’s on your mind?” Angeal asked, tugging him up. “I’m not training you like this, you’re distracted.”  
        “Sorry, it’s just, cadet mako testing is today.” Zack shrugged.  
        “Zack, you _are_ aware you’re First Class, not a cadet, right?” the raven haired Commander sighed.  
        “Angeeeaaal of _course_ I know that. But I have this friend, well, he’s not really a friend yet, I think he hates me, anyway, he entered two months late and was ignoring me and I sort of cracked his rib and-” Angeal clapped a hand over Zack’s mouth.  
        “Slow down pup,” the older First chuckled before letting him go. “Take a deep breath, and start from the beginning…”

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~C~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

         When his name was finally called, Cloud couldn’t help but be nervous. He knew, from the medical books in the library back in Nibelheim, that mako had some less than friendly side effects. But actually seeing the cadets come out after their injections escorted by off duty infantrymen headed straight to the infirmary was very unsettling. The majority of them looked severely ill. And three of them had vomited. Actually, more cadets had gone in than out of the labs, so he could only assume the others were still inside resting until they were able to walk. Or at least move. And no his own name had been called, and he was lead through to a certain familiar scientist.

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~X~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

         “Get out.” Hojo glared at the assistant who had lead Cloud in, smirking once the woman’s back was turned as she bolted. “Do you think it’s respect or fear, that has them scurrying off like that?” he turned to the blond. Not even a twitch. Damn, he’d have to try harder. Making certain the doors had locked and were set to allow no one in or out without his code, he moved forward and hugged the teen, “Storm puff,” a sigh, “we need to talk.”

         And talk they did. He had Cloud summarise where the bruises had come from, and he checked on the rib. While using a Cure materia to heal everything, he explained that the mako injection would have done that anyway so it wouldn’t seem strange. And then, he sat down in a chair across from the teen with Cloud’s hands in his own and started.

         After moving to Midgar, Sephiroth had been claimed as SHINRA property due to the nature of, and circumstances surrounding, his birth. Under orders from Ronald Shinra, the current president, Hojo had done a number of unusual experiments on his own son and practically filled his blood with mako. A unique form of mako poisoning had made itself known, and the resulting damage was the loss of Sephiroth’s earlier memories. By all reports the silver haired General’s first memory was arriving on the SHINRA tower roof, and watching his father go down a set of stairs never to be seen again. It was the same day Hojo had altered his appearance. 

        That, he established, was a method of throwing people off. It let Sephiroth remember his father as someone other than the one performing often insane experiments on him, and to some degree kept the man stable. All the mako interacted with a foreign substance integrated into Sephiroth’s cells before he was born, and any mental anxieties or disturbances seemed to temporarily destabilize that substance. Any time it happened, Sephiroth would be blinded by rage and eventual come to with no memory of what he’d done. Rather than telling Sephiroth that Hojo was his father and risk setting him off, he deemed it better to distance himself and give the _General_ someone to blame and complain about.

        Setting that aside, it also kept the company at a distance. After discovering the process for the SOLDIER program, SHINRA had invested immense amounts of money, technology, and space to him in the hopes of more discoveries. In Nibelheim they had pushed and tried to nose into his personal research, and he couldn’t allow that. In backwater, mountain town Nibelheim his studies had been easier to hide. He’d explain more about that later, he told Cloud, watching the boy shift on the table. It was clear to Cloud this wouldn’t be the typical mako testing session.

        Anyway, he continued, the company still expected him to discover new properties and uses of mako for human enhancement. With SHINRA watching closely over his shoulder, he wouldn’t be able to monitor Sephiroth’s molecular stability. Or he would, but he’d have to explain it, and for the moment that particular research was not something he wanted to share with the world.

        As he talked, Hojo had kept it somewhat vague. Ultimately, his main concern was Cloud’s reaction to mako. In Nibelheim, Ayira had let him test Cloud’s mako sensitivity. It was high, but those results revealed a unique condition. Exposure to mako excited certain molecules in Cloud’s own cells. Those molecules tried to bond in a certain way, which wouldn’t be a problem if they did it bit by bit. Unfortunately they all tried to bond at the same time, which meant there was interference, and it would _hurt._

        Essentially, that was why Cloud got a headache around Sephiroth. The silver haired twenty year old had so much mako in his system that Cloud’s cells activated and the headache was a precursor or warning buzz. It was why Tseng had agreed to fake the results of a mako test in Cloud’s file.   
        “Please, for your own health, stay _away_ from him Storm Puff. He doesn’t remember you. He doesn’t remember us, or Nibelheim. I still have a lot to explain, but this could _kill_ you-” Hojo cut off as Rufus Shinra walked into the labs. The 18 year old’s eyes settled on the smaller blond, and he smiled.   
        “Vice President… How _kind_ of you to drop in.” Hojo trailed off, voice once again scratchy and unconcerned. Gone was the concern, the worry. Gone was any inflection or softened tone he might use around Cloud. “I will see you another time, Cadet. _Now get out._ ” And Cloud left. Hojo internally swore at the young Vice President, cursing him for interrupting. He hadn’t gotten to explain the science behind all of this, and that he knew would make it clear to Cloud just what his current predicament was. Now Cloud was gone.

        The teen had watched him as he talked, blinking every now and then. He had seen the gears turning, heard the silent questions and answered them as best he could. Towards the end Cloud’s eyes had widened, and again those bright cerulean eyes… But he hadn’t been able to finish, or get to the meat of the conversation. All because of the other blond brat now sitting on the examination table in front of him.  
        “Why hello _Professor._ I take it you know _Cloud._ ”

_Good Gaia, when did the Turks get so terrible at keeping secrets?_ Hojo asked himself. Yet another long conversation began.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **A/N:** Again, really rough chapter. I will try to explain things if you need.


	13. I'm a Turk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two years. Cloud was furious. Two years he had been applying to join SHINRA’s army, every time a recruiter came to Nibelheim.  
> Over the weekend the Turks experience a security breach, and a week later Turk headquarters are disrupted by the laughter of a noisy redhead, after having found a video posted by one of the most notorious hackers on the darknet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **A/N:** More bits and pieces of set up. And Zack, can’t forget Zack.
> 
>  
> 
>  **Disclaimer:** I own nothing but the plot, and my writing style.

        The weekend had passed uneventfully, nothing new or exciting. Having been down to see Hojo, Rufus was expecting the man to contact him relatively soon with an answer or two. That didn’t stop him from visiting the newest Turk this Sunday morning though, because he would always get what he wanted. 

        He’d actually knocked on the door this morning. He didn’t have to, Tseng never objected to him simply opening the door and walking in. Gaia knew he had the security clearance, was practically raised on this floor and the office floor beneath it. But today he felt the need to knock. Because he, Rufus Shinra, was visiting his newest Turk. Or part time Turk. Or cadet. It didn’t really matter what label he put on the other blond, because Cloud was a Turk now. And Rufus practically owned the Turks.

         But he couldn’t help but be a bit nervous this morning. He’d have to get around Tseng to ask what he wanted, because the Wutaian man would never allow it, but if he could convince Cloud that he’d back off a bit if the younger blond accepted his offer things would go much smoother. Seeing the Wutaian open the door and usher him in, he wondered if the man would even leave the two blonds alone for half a minute. He had business with Cloud and it, surprisingly, did not involve any other Turks.  
        “Rufus.” Tseng said with a nod. They’d been on informal terms for as long as he could remember. Rufus returned the nod and made his way to the table.  
        “I wish to speak with Strife.” Another nod.

        Moments later, Cloud made his way out of the bedroom across the hall from Tseng’s, still in what appeared to be Tseng’s pyjamas. The younger teen gave him a brief look before turning for bread, and the toaster. Relaxing as though in for a long discussion, Rufus slouched into the chair. It wasn’t often he allowed himself to do so, son of the President and all. He had to maintain his public appearance, but here in the privacy of Tseng’s, and now Cloud’s, apartment, he let himself slouch. And seeing Tseng move towards his own room he knew he’d won. Now he could speak with Cloud on his own, though they’d still have to be quiet. No sense in letting Tseng overhear and scold him like a child for it. Rufus cleared his throat.  
        “So Cloud. I have a proposition for you….”

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Z~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

        Monday morning rolled around, and Zack was worried Chocobo wouldn’t show up for his weapons class. He hadn’t _meant_ to hurt the cadet, and now he’d given the blond a reason to hate him, or avoid him. Not like that was a new thing, but still it left him unsure of what to do, or how to approach the blond about about the offer he had. Angeal had suggested it after he explained what happened the other day, and it was a great idea, but he still wasn’t sure if Chocobo- _Speak of the bird,_ he cut himself off as he spotted the platinum spikes bobbing onto the room. It wouldn’t help anyone if he was too nervous to talk with the cadet. For now, he’d act accordingly and go on with the lesson. Angeal had said if Krut was a target for bullying he should wait until after class to avoid drawing attention, and so he would. _That still doesn’t mean it’s easy..._ He watched as Krut continued to mess up most of what he was teaching. _Gods the cadet could really use some one on one._

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~C~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

        Cloud knew, once again, that the Lieutenant was up to something. The First’s furtive glances were rather annoying, and were making it very hard to concentrate. As he overbalanced once more and nearly impaled himself on the training blade, Fair called the end of class a few minutes early and locked eyes with him as he sat up. Sighing, he set the blade back on its rack and moved towards his bag. If he could just get out of class and up to the offices- “Krut! Stay behind a minute would ya? Need to talk to you.” _Damn. Guess firewall reconstruction will have to wait._ Cloud frowned, noting the glares of a few cadets on their way out of the room. With a nod to the Lieutenant, he stood rigidly with his bag over one shoulder. Hopefully this wouldn’t take long.

        As the last of the cadets, and Fair’s monitoring instructor, filed out of the room. Fair made his way over and clapped a hand on Cloud’s shoulder, and noting the wince and glare the Cloud was giving him, promptly lifted the hand and apologised.  
        “Sir?” Cloud kept his tone cold. Any way he could make this encounter shorter..  
        “Please, cut the formalities. I hate it when people call me _sir_.” Cloud stayed silent. “Actually, I need to apologise for injuring you the other day-”  
        “You already have.”  
        “I know but I still feel bad about it and I wanted to-”  
        “No thanks.” He cut Fair off again.  
        “You don’t even know what I was going to-”  
        “Don’t care.”

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Z~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

        At this point Zack was at a loss. Out of all the one sided conversations he’d had with Chocobo, this was by far the worst. He let a pause hang in the air a while before muttering “...Do you really hate me that much?” low enough the cadet probably couldn’t have heard him. 

        To his surprise though, Krut looked up in surprise and stared at him. It was a pretty clear answer. “Well shit. Look Pete”, he waved a hand to stop the cadet from interrupting him again, “I’m a superior officer I’ll call you whatever I want so just shut up and listen.” _Damn, didn’t know Chocobo’s eyes could get any bigger!_ “I’m feeling really bad about what happened the other day and I want to make it up to you. I had a talk with a really good friend of mine who use to train me. Now that I’m First Class he doesn’t really need to keep training me but we spar pretty often and chat a lot, so when I told him what happened he said I should offer to-” Krut was already shaking his head, “train you one on one and mentor you… Gaia, look Pete, I’m not used to people hating me. I don’t like it and I don’t understand why. You haven’t liked me from the start but I can tell you right now you’ll never make it into SOLDIER with scores as dismally low as you have right now. Training with me is about the best offer you can get, and I know the other cadets don’t like you much but I can help with that! So consider my peace offering! I-”  
        “Waste of time.” _Good Gaia was Chocobo thick in the head or what?_  
        “It won’t be a waste of time! I’m good with pretty much all SOLDIER weapons, and if you just work a little harder and put more effort into training I’m sure you’ll be accepted.” _Oh that might have been a little too far,_ his smile faltered, seeing the cadet’s still unchanging expression. He looked like a soaked chocobo, standing in firm denial of damn near everything. “Seriously, I’ve been watching you since the first day you showed up,” _wow that’s not creepy at all,_ “and you really have skill! It’s just extremely underdeveloped and I can tell you’re not putting all your energy into training and frankly it’s a damn _waste._ Just keep believing in yourself and have confidence.” He felt serious. He _was_ serious. Something about Krut just made him that way. “I’m a Lieutenant, SOLDIER First Class, under direct command of the General and both Commanders, and I’m _offering to train you._ No, you know what, it isn’t an offer anymore, it’s an order! You’re going to receive one on one training whether you like it or--”

        And suddenly Zack was on the floor. He wasn’t quite sure how he had gotten there, and it took him a minute to remember the cadet whose boots were now in front of his face. Shaking his head to clear the fogginess inside, he pushed himself up into a seated position and looked around to see.. Dust. Lots of dust. A ceiling panel broken into bits. A metal lighting fixture with the imprint of his head. Shattered light bulbs. _Broken glass!_ His brain shouted at him, and he stopped all motion, refocusing on Krut once again.  
        About to caution the cadet against moving, to avoid getting cut, he watched instead as the blond simply shook his head, and flicked the only few specs of dust off the shoulder of his uniform. He was otherwise perfectly clean and orderly, and now staring down at his idiot Lieutenant who just had the _Gaia damn ceiling_ fall on his head. Krut sighed, glancing around the empty room before facing him once again.  
        “Must ignore that order, _sir._ I am not a SOLDIER recruit.” He moved to the door, leaving Zack still sitting in a circle of debris. As he passed through the door he paused, if only for a moment, to whisper _“I’m a Turk recruit.”_ on the way out.  
        Zack blinked.

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~AH~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

        Angeal knew something was wrong with his former student. How could he not? As they waited in the VR room for the others to show up, Zack had plopped down against a wall and started pulling what looked like plaster and drywall chips out of his hair. He’d said he was going to make the offer today, to mentor cadet Krut, and now he had the beaten puppy look on. Good lord. _Honestly Pup, how on Gaia do you manage to do this._ “How’s the other guy look?” He chuckled, taking a seat next to Zack.

        Giving him a hard to miss look that clearly said _not funny, _Zack sighed and turned his head to look straight at Angeal. His eyes didn’t have their usual dopey delight in them. They were hard, and uncharacteristically serious. “The ceiling fell on me.” Angeal’s brows pushed together in confusion. “And he refused.” Oh. That would explain it. _But what cadet in their right mind would refuse one on one training from a SOLDIER First Class?_ He asked himself. _What kind of cadet is Pete Krut?___

        After Zack had described the hall incident to him during their spar the other day, Angeal had taken the time to pull up Krut’s file. It was… vague to say the least. No wonder Zack was having problems with him. Pete Krut, from Nibelheim, single child. That was all it said. No parents, no background, just those few details. And the instructor notes. Those were horrible. Mediocre grades in everything, quiet kid, creepy stare, rarely interacts with other cadets, somewhat of an outcast, borderline disrespectful to commanding officers, gets picked on, the list went on. But none of it suggested any reasons, or insight on why the cadet acts the way he does. They were useless. And now the boy had refused First Class training. It just didn’t add up.  
        “Geal, there’s something else..” Zack interrupted, trailing off as Sephiroth and Genesis entered the VR room.  
        “Good evening Angeal, Zack.” The General offered, before noting Zack’s current state and the pile of plaster flecs at his side. Genesis stifled a laugh at his side, as Angeal stared him down and shook his head.  
        “General, the ceiling in the Cadet Weapons Training Hall needs repair. And probably an inspection. It collapsed.” Zack sighed, standing up and starting to stretch. _A spar will probably be good for him,_ Angeal thought, _great stress relief._

__And so they sparred. As the only four First Class, they had their own VR room to prevent interruptions or casualties should anyone try to enter or interfere. It been out of use for quite some time after Sephiroth had destroyed it, but as always theirs was the first repaired._ _

__They’d been at it for hours before Zack eventually flopped to the ground and refused to get back up. Afterwards Angeal briefed them on Zack’s problem cadet and the lack of information available. Upon hearing the cadet’s name for the first time, Genesis couldn’t help but laugh, recognising the alias and knowing full well that it was a Turk. The others shrugged his reaction off. As Zack gave his own input he described all the experiences he had so far, and how much the cadet looked like chocobo after Sephiroth prompted. It was at this point that Sephiroth revealed a cadet extremely similar in description had been in Hojo’s labs lately, embracing the crazy scientist. Angeal of course, ever the honourable soldier, took this the wrong way and was about to storm off towards the labs before the General rephrased to say the two were _hugging._ It was still a disturbing thought though. Sephiroth hadn’t been called to the labs since that time and had begun to wonder if this cadet had something to do with Hojo’s apparent lack of interest in his _star General.__ _

__Curiosity only rose as Zack and Sephiroth explained what they could, especially after Zack had mentioned “I think he’s a Turk recruit…” in the middle of one of his typically jumbled sentences, along with the refusal of his mentorship offer. All of this only concerned them more, save for Genesis who simply looked amused. Towards the end of their meet-up, Sephiroth declared they were going to keep Krut out of Hojo’s hands, as well as take the opportunity to steal him from the Turks. That happened to be an ongoing game between Sephiroth and Tseng, for as much as they thought of each other as brothers, they still felt the need to argue from time to time. The Turks had successfully won the last time they fought over a recruit, so the four decided to win one for the SOLDIER team._ _

__While Sephiroth would be too busy looking into the boy’s connection to Hojo and whether or not he’d be safe in the man’s care, Zack would mentor Krut in swordsmanship, Angeal would deal with the honour, integrity, and SOLDIER doctrine bullshit, with Genesis covering materia use.  
        “Gaia help the cadet if he refuses this offer…” Angeal muttered to himself as they departed towards their respective residences. Zack had chosen to room with Second Class Kunsel, something about maintaining a good relationship with the other SOLDIERs. He could only sigh and wonder what the Turks were seeing in Krut that made them try to recruit him, and made a note to himself to check out the cadet training sometime._ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **A/N:** Posting 2 chapters to make up for last week. Happy reading.


	14. Distraction

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two years. Cloud was furious. Two years he had been applying to join SHINRA’s army, every time a recruiter came to Nibelheim.  
> Over the weekend the Turks experience a security breach, and a week later Turk headquarters are disrupted by the laughter of a noisy redhead, after having found a video posted by one of the most notorious hackers on the darknet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **A/N:** Good chunk of Cloud and Gen in here. Enjoy. 
> 
> **Disclaimer:** I own nothing but the plot, and my writing style.

        Much like Monday, Tuesday passed the same. He waited until the end of class to approach Krut, official mentorship request form in hand. Only this time, Zack wasn’t nervous at all. He had the backing and support of every SOLDIER First Class. _Chocobo would be insane to refuse,_ he grinned, simply handing the form over for the small blond to read and watching for a reaction. Any reaction. Something, maybe a hint of surprise? He began to fidget.

         Krut had been carefully reading over the paper for several minutes before pulling a PHS out of his bag. “One sec.” The blond hit send on the short message he’d typed, before sitting on a bench to wait, eyes closed in thought. Zack didn’t know how anyone could sit that still. If it weren’t for the colour in the cadet’s cheeks, he might’ve thought the blond just died. Even his breathing was barely noticeable.

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~T~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

         Tseng, having been on a short mission to Don Corneo’s place, finished his business as quickly as possible. The fat man had a distinctive smell that, despite his training in immunity to such things, made Tseng nauseous. Slipping around a corner and into the waiting car, he waited for the other two to climb in before directing Cissnei to return them to headquarters.

         By this point several hours had passed, so he made a point of checking his PHS, surprised to find a message from an unknown sender. Not many people had his PHS number, and most of them were programmed into his contacts list. Opening it, he read the 4 word message and blinked.  
[SFC Mentorship Offer. Accept?]

        Judging by the time it was sent, Cloud had been approached just after training. Meaning it was probably Zack. But Cloud had already informed him of Zack’s offer the night before, so this had to be different. _And,_ he realised, _He’s had time to hack the Turk numbers, as well as turn off my PHS ringer when the message arrived so it wouldn’t disturb the mission._ Tseng chuckled very quietly, taking a short moment to respond.  
[Involved parties?]

        Two minutes later the response came, once again making no sound, even though his PHS was set to vibrate and ring right now.  
[Sword:LFair, Honour/polit:CHewley, Materia:CGen

         “Ah, of course you’d notice…” Tseng murmured, referring to the General.  
The game had been going on for quite some time now. Both Reno and Rude had originally been SOLDIER Cadets. Unfortunately he hadn’t been able to pull Kunsel into the Turks because of his loyalty to Zack, but they still traded information from time to time. This one, Sephiroth was already at a disadvantage. Whether or not the General knew, Cloud was already in the Turks. Zack had probably assumed he was still a recruit since he hadn’t fully joined their ranks, but Cloud’s contract was not life-binding, so he could still be swayed into the SOLDIER ranks. He’d been rejected from SOLDIER enough times it left him bitter about the matter though, so that was a plus. 

        All in all, the mentorship couldn’t hurt. Cloud needed the training and it would keep him occupied and under supervision. Rhapsodos had already taken a liking to him and knew what was going on, so that would help. And as much as he hated to admit it, this would indirectly increase their chances of weeding out the drug suppliers in the cadet ranks. With so much attention from the entire First Class, the other cadets would probably target Cloud more, and be frantic enough to seek out drugs to improve their performance and get noticed by their heroes. And he had warned Sephiroth about the bullying issue, so perhaps the targeting would be less severe.  
         “Game start.” Tseng smirked lightly, not noticing the other Turks in the car suddenly tensing, before he responded.  
[Get the most out of it]

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~C~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

         By the time Tseng responded, and hour had passed. Fair had bugged him about why it was taking so long to decide, who he had messaged, what was there to hesitate about, so long. Frankly, he missed the silence of Vincent, and wished the Lieutenant would just shut up, but his glare seemed to have lost its effect on the older teen. When he finally received Tseng’s response, he had no doubt the Commander had been weighing the pros and cons of the situation and decided it would be a good experience.

         “Fine.” He offered, noting the light in the Lieutenant’s eyes brighten. Digging through his bag for a pen, he began signing his name. After a second of thought he froze and scratched the “C” out, writing _Pete Krut_ neatly next to it. When he handed the form back to the Lieutenant and received a weird look from the older teen and shrugged, covering it with “Forgot. Don’t need to write Cadet.”

         He could still hear Fair’s laughter as he swept out of the room and into a back hallway system the Turks liked to use. Apparently the SOLDIERs didn’t know about it, so he’d used it to escape them several times.

         An hour later found him sitting in the central computer room in the Turk offices, Reno and Genesis lounging behind him as he rebuilt several security measures from scratch. The other Turk let out an occasional whistle as he dissembled the wimpy anti-rootkit and modified it to better protect the digital archive machines. The auburn haired first only watched in fascination as the screen flickered at a ridiculous speed as he flipped through various windows. 

        Several more hours passed, with Genesis dosing off in a comfortable armchair. Reno remained alert and observing Cloud’s activities, spinning in Cloud’s gaming chair. The last shipment of his equipment from Nibelheim had arrived recently and, following an obscene amount of begging, he’d allowed the Turks to put his old chair in the room he usually worked in. Reno had all but claimed it as his own, and gloated over it until Cloud ordered another one for himself. Tseng had almost denied the request, but since he was spending his own gil the Wutaian let it slide. Actually, Cloud had ordered another one for Rude but it wouldn’t arrive for another month. They were damn hard to buy, and the waiting list was huge, and since he couldn’t out himself as St0rmCl0ud to the rest of the company, he hadn’t been allowed to throw the name in there and get bumped to the top of the list. Stupid SHINRA secrecy.

        It was around 9:00 when things picked up a little. Reno received a call that left him spewing swears left and right, before darting out of the offices, yelling behind him that Rhapsodos had better keep an eye on him.  
         _Yeah. Right._

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~RS~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

         He hadn’t been in a helicopter for so long, it was a wonder he made it of the pad. His father had all but grounded him after he crashed one into the side of some building. So much for Reno’s flight lessons.

         With the chopper mostly under control now, Rufus sighed deeply and attached his PHS to the ear cover and headset he now wore, using the voice command to contact the redhead. When the young Turk picked up, he chuckled, and started talking.

         “So Reno, I would love to continue those flight lessons in your beloved metal bird. Why don’t you come up to the rooftop and wave me off? I think I’ll head to Junon and see how the canon construction is going. Or maybe Wutai to get myself captured. I’m certain the rebels there would love to have my help terrorising my father. Or my head, they’d probably like that just as well. Or they can ransom me to fund their activities, I’m sure my father will pay whatever they ask for. Although, I can’t exactly remember how to land, last time that wasn’t very smooth-” he cut off, listening to the redhead swear on the other end. Something about blond coconuts and creepy eyed chocobos.

         “You’ll put Captain Highwind to shame if you’re not careful there Reno…” he carried on, waiting to see the door on the roof slam open and the young Turks pissed off face. “Let’s play hide and seek, shall we?” He asked, before pulling his PHS off the headset and tossing it out of the helicopter. 

         As he steered off towards Junon, Rufus smiled.  
“If this isn’t enough of a distraction, Cloud Strife, I’m not sure what else I can do.”

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~T~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

        After a frantic call from Reno, Tseng contacted the remaining Turks in Midgar. Reno had taken a second chopper to follow the Vice President, who had apparently landed at the edge of Midgar and disappeared below plate, and now they had to hunt him down and bring him back. 

        Even worse, Rufus had borrowed a PHS and called his father, to let the man know he was “Going out to play with his friends in the slums.” So now they had Ronald Shinra breathing down their necks ordering his son brought back and shackled to his desk. It was enough to give him quite the headache.

         While he hesitated to leave Cloud with Genesis and access to the network, there weren’t many options. Reno had been supervising Cloud’s work when he got the call and left without a second thought, but for now Tseng had to trust the newest member of the Turks wouldn’t do anything bad. Or at least, nothing too bad. Still, Rufus had visited Sunday morning to speak with Cloud…. A gut feeling said this was probably not a coincidence.  
         Tseng pinched the bridge of his nose, and gave orders to move out and search the city.

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~G~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

         Genesis hadn’t been expecting this. Whatever this was. He’d thought Cloud might at least show some restraint or try to hide his activities. Not that Genesis had any idea what exactly the young blond was doing. But judging by the faint smile he could see as he stepped up beside him, he wasn’t supposed to be doing it.

         When Reno had started swearing, he focussed on the voice on the other end of the PHS conversation. Rufus had gone for a little test flight, and as a result the Turks were all chasing him down. Meaning Cloud had free reign over in the office, aside from Genesis himself. And of course, as a SOLDIER Commander and not a Turk, he didn’t have the authority to question a Turk. He smirked.

         Whatever it was, it didn’t take long. An hour in and Cloud shut all the computers down, turning to him with a questioning gaze. He’d spent enough Saturdays with the blond to recognise what it meant.  
         “I, of course, saw nothing but a hard working Turk today.” He grinned. A gurgling from Cloud’s stomach interrupted his next thought, not however, before prompting another one. “I take it you’re hungry. Why don’t we go _out_ to eat this time?” _Tseng will hate me for this, but it’s so worth it._ “I know this lovely little italian place on Loveless avenue….” They made their way to the elevators. He suspected it was the first time Cloud would be off of SHINRA grounds since his arrival.

         _Someone_ had to properly introduce St0rmCl0ud to the many wonders of Midgar, after all.

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~C~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

         Genesis was right. The italian place was lovely. Actually, it was _wonderful._ He hadn’t been able to explore Midgar at all yet, and despite the smog and stale, filthy air, it was refreshing to be out of the Shinra building.

         As they ate, he briefly described his repeated rejection from SOLDIER. Genesis told him more about Sephiroth, as he currently was, and Cloud offered bits of what he remembered when they were younger. More than once the auburn haired First caught him using the nickname, and prompted him to explain.

         “Couldn’t pronounce it, his name. Too young, too long.” had been his response. Rather than stumble over a name like Sephiroth, his two year old self had taken the “Se” and “ro”, combining them for something shorter that he could say easily. He’d done it for a number of others, including Professor Rindan Hojo, who he called Projo or Uncle Rin, and Viva. Though Genesis had probed a bit further regarding the last one, Cloud kept silent. One of the last things the ex-Turk had told him was not to mention his name to anyone, and that was something he’d swore to.

        “If Sephiroth gets a nickname, I get one too blondie.” Genesis leant over the table to say. “Or should I call you Chocobo like Zack does-” the auburn was picking spaghetti out of his hair a moment later. “I’ll have you know, if my fans ever found out about this they’d probably dismember you.”  
         “Likewise.” Cloud thought for a moment. “Don’t mention Fair.”  
        “ _Ripples form on the water’s surface,_ ” Genesis quoted. “I sense some tension there. Regardless, I want a nickname.” It came out sounding more like a pout than he’d intended, clearly, but nevertheless Cloud looked at him silently for a minute.  
         “Rage.”  
         “Rage?” Genesis quoted. A nod.  
         “Your nickname.” The SOLDIER First paused to consider it.  
        “Rage… Ra and Ge from Rhapsodos and Gen, disregarding the h?” Another nod. “ I love it. Thank you Cloud, I- Ohhhh” Genesis started to laugh. The other customers took note, some gasping quietly at the sight of the Red Commander. “That means Sero could also be _Rose_. Oh Goddess that’s just.. I…” He burst out in another bout of laughter. When it finally passed, he wiped a line of water from his eyes and sighed. “Remind me to call him that every chance I-”  
         “It’s really him!”  
         “Commander Rhapsodos!”  
         “CAN I HAVE A PHOTO?”  
         “Oh my goddess is that his _boyfriend?!_ ”

         And suddenly the quiet, dim restaurant burst into motion. People from nearby tables stood to catch a glimpse of the Commander, who luckily had gotten all the spaghetti Cloud had flung at him out of his hair, and his short, blonde companion. 

        “Remember that bit about my fans?” Genesis asked rapidly. Cloud nodded. “The difference between my fans and your fans is that, unfortunately, mine _know what I look like._ ” He pulled Cloud out of the booth and draped his coat over the blond’s head. “Now _RUN._ ”

        And run they did, ignoring their surroundings and bounding down random streets as the crowd behind them grew. As Cloud began to tire, Genesis lifted him and jumped for the rooftops, running around until they found an apartment building with a walled roof. At their current positions crouched below the walls, no one from the ground level could see them, so there they stayed. Thought it took longer for Cloud’s breathing to settle, they were both rather exhausted. And hot. Damn it was hot. Cloud could feel his clothes sticking to skin. At least it wasn’t his cadet uniform. He’d made it a habit to change out of that after training. Take a quick shower and slip into something more… Turkish. His suits still hadn’t arrived so he’d stuck with black jeans and a navy blue T-shirt.

        Hearing the thundering herd of fans zoom by, off down some other street, Cloud finally took the time to glance at his surroundings, noting the roof exit and other possible escape routes should he need them. There was a fire escape, air conditioning units, a pool, a- _wait a minute, pool?_ He returned his line of sight to the glistening water. Genesis too, seemed to have spotted it at roughly the same time, and the two proceeded to shed their shirts, Cloud gently pulling the red leather coat from his head and folding it to set down on a poolside lounging chair.  
        “Next time, _no coat._ ” He muttered, certain the auburn would be less noticeable without the iconic piece of clothing. That wasn’t what the Red Commander picked up on though.

        “ _Next_ time?” He smiled questioningly, but he didn’t get an answer as Cloud had already dropped into the pool, swimming around underwater. By the time he came up for air, Genesis was already soaked and floating on his back. “I would very much like a next time, Cloud. But we have to bring swimsuits. My pants are heavy and dragging me down in the water. And if I have a nickname and can’t wear my coat, you should have a nickname and something to cover that Goddess forsaken chocobo hair. ” Cloud grunted in response. “No, I did _not_ just call you Chocobo. I said your hair _looks_ like a chocobo. Big difference. But really, you need a nickname. If this happens again I don’t want my fans digging into your background or stalking you.”  
        “Fine.”  
        “Then what will it be, your nickname? And don’t you dare say Pete Krut. That is not acceptable.” Genesis allowed himself to drift into the shallows, sitting on the stairs.  
        “Thought it was funny.” Cloud snorted. “You decide.” He started treading water, looking at Genesis.  
        “Don’t joke, I’ll call you Angel forever.”  
        “Too close to Hewley.” He rejected the idea. It took Genesis a moment to piece things together. Cloud still hadn’t met Angeal yet.  
        “Buttercup?” Genesis joked. Cloud just stared. “Maybe not. What about….” he paused for a moment, looking around…, anywhere but at Cloud, “Mine?”

        There was a long silence. A very long silence. Long enough that Genesis finally managed to bring himself to look at Cloud once again. Cloud who was staring at him as usual, though there was a hint of confusion in his eyes.  
        “Not interested in anyone that way. And six years younger. No.”  
        Genesis turned away again, nodding in agreement. “I do not apologise to anyone, ever. But I will say that-” he got cut off as his PHS rang. As they waited for it to stop, Cloud’s own PHS rang. And rang. And rang. Both devices continued to ring, and with similar sighs, they pulled themselves out of the pool and grabbed towels from the nearby towel rack.  
        “Tseng-”  
        “Sephiroth-” they said at roughly the same time, opening their respective devices. Neither answered. It was past midnight.

        Unable to contain the day’s stress and laughter anymore, Cloud let out a soft chuckle. It grew steadily, infecting the SOLDIER First as well, and they sat against the roof wall, chuckling for quite some time. 

        Sometime later, they had both pulled their shirts and jackets back on, and were leaning over the edge of the roof. Genesis’ fans had long since given up and were nowhere to be seen. This part if the city, on top of the plate, high enough there weren’t any lights, and Cloud still couldn’t see the stars. It was unsettling. But he wasn’t alone anymore, like he had been in Nibelheim aside from Viva and his mother. Here, he had Genesis. And Tseng. And Reno and Rude, Cissnei, most of the other Turks, Rufus, and that one SOLDIER that kept eating lunch with him. He wasn’t alone and it felt _good._

        He was the first to break the silence, close to 1:00am. He hadn’t intended to say it but it came out before he could think about it. “Chocobo is fine. Only you though.” And Genesis smiled.  
        “Chocobo Rage. How delightful. We can torment Lieutenant Fair together.”

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~X~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

        The trip back to headquarters was long, and weaving through a number of empty streets. They went primarily unnoticed, save for the occasional drunk. The rapid fire messages they were both receiving, however, did not go unnoticed. Cloud’s PHS quickly filled with notes from Tseng, Reno, Rude, and a number of the other Turks. Genesis found his loaded with mail from the other SOLDIER Firsts. It was certainly annoying, but at one point or another they began to read them out loud as they walked, developing ridiculously vague responses to pass the time.

        Genesis eventually coaxed Cloud into revealing what his earlier activities were, resulting in another round of quiet laughter. It was more expression than Cloud had managed in years, and it felt wonderful.  
Both knew they’d be in trouble in the morning, and both ignored that fact in favour of having a good time. 

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Tseng's PHS~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

Tseng [Location?]  
Cloud [Midgar]  
Tseng [Where?]  
Cloud [Out]  
Tseng [With Rhapsodos?]  
Cloud [With Rage]  
Tseng [Cloud, what are you doing?]  
Cloud [Was swimming]  
Tseng [Aquatics Training Center?]  
Cloud [No, floating. In the sky.]  
Tseng [Report to HQ immediately]  
Cloud [No fun]  
Tseng [You’re a Turk.]  
Cloud [14]  
Tseng [True. Report to HQ]  
Cloud [Eventually]  
Tseng [Now]  
Cloud [Yes father]

Tseng stared blankly at his PHS. “Reno. Find him. He might be drunk. And electrocute Rhapsodos.”  
         “Yes boss.”

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Sephiroth's PHS~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

Seph [Gen, where are you?]  
Gen [Whatsit u]  
Gen [?]  
Seph [Commander Rhapsodos, are you intoxicated?]  
Gen [Naaaoooo just wallkin]  
Seph [I will pick you up, turn your locator on.]  
Gen [I refuse. I enjoy my present company.]  
Seph [Who is with you?]  
Gen [Angel]  
Seph [Angeal is reading over my shoulder. I repeat, who are you with?]  
Gen [Noooooo I mean ANGEL not ‘Geal]  
Seph [Genesis, come back. You’re clearly impaired.]  
Gen [I’m fine General Sexipants]  
Gen [*Sexypants with a y]

Sephiroth turned to Angeal. They stared at eachother for a while. “We should inform Lazard-”  
         “Absolutely not. He’ll be taken off the mission roster. We’ll send the offduty Second Classes out.”  
         “What if he- one sec.”

Gen [I’m gonna call you Rose forever now]  
Gen [Apologies, I’m holding on to his PHS for now. -Cadet Krut]

         “Are you _sure_ we shouldn’t tell Lazard?” Sephiroth asked.  
         “.... Fine. Let’s go.”

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Shinra~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

         His son properly scolded and appropriately punished, Ronald Shinra sat down at his personal computer in his penthouse on the 70th floor. Honestly, that boy would be the death of him. Most powerful man in the world, killed by the stresses of fatherhood. At least one of his known sons behaved. He supposed he should probably tell them they were half brothers, but any time he tried to bring it up one of them would end up busy. Lazard with SOLDIER and Rufus with the Turks. Speaking of Turks, he wondered how that little blond one was doing. Who knew Hojo would ever have a godson that actually _liked_ him. And of course it would be a puny teenager with hacking skills beyond anyone in the company. 

         Shaking his head, he opened his private email account and skimmed through the junk. Most of it was advertisements, a few emails from Amalia Deusericus checking up on her son, one from the HoneyBee, two from Scarlet asking personal favours no doubt- he returned to the HoneyBee email, opening it to read.

         “Well I’ll be damned…” he muttered, his breath picking up. They’d given him a link to an all hours video stream to one of the premium rooms. He clicked on it and frowned as his screen momentarily blacked out. It came back on a moment later though, so he thought nothing of it as the stream loaded. Little did he know the trojan virus was quietly embedding itself, tracking and monitoring his actions. He was far too occupied with his latest distraction.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **A/N:** Ahaha ha ha. I’ve never written relationships before so a lot of this is just weird. And I have some unusual pairings in mind so it's only going to get weirder.


	15. Punishment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two years. Cloud was furious. Two years he had been applying to join SHINRA’s army, every time a recruiter came to Nibelheim.  
> Over the weekend the Turks experience a security breach, and a week later Turk headquarters are disrupted by the laughter of a noisy redhead, after having found a video posted by one of the most notorious hackers on the darknet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **A/N:** This is mostly dealing with the aftermath of Gen and Cloud’s little escapade, and a bit with Rufus.
> 
> **Disclaimer:** I own nothing but the plot, and my writing style.

         It had been close to three when Tseng heard the door open, so quietly he almost missed it. Reno and Rude were both still looking him, and Rhapsodos. Sitting in an armchair turned to face the door, he was expecting the lights to flick on any moment. When a few moments passed and nothing happened, he turned on a nearby lamp to see Cloud sitting in the entrance, pulling his shoes off and stretching. He hadn’t startled when the light blinked on, so he’d probably guessed Tseng was there somewhere.

         “You disabled the tracker in your PHS.” he heard a soft snort. Truthfully they’d be better off implanting one under his skin, but his gut said Hojo wouldn’t stand for it. They just had to keep up constant supervision until the President deemed he wasn’t a flight risk. Tseng already suspected Cloud thought the idea of running away ridiculous. After all, it _had_ technically been Cloud’s idea to be a Turk. That was why he’d hacked them in the first place. Still, they were supposed to know his location at all times and it was proving difficult.

         “I want a detailed report sent to my PHS by 8:00. What you have been up to, with who, where, and when. As punishment…” he paused, not sure what would actually serve as a decent one. Cloud enjoyed training, cleaning, organising, filing, anything to do with computers….  
“You will remain in the apartment, under guard, no tech access, for the remainder of the day. Tomorrow you will skip cadet training with no excuse and assist me in my office until further notice.” The blond nodded, yawning. He’d been about to continue but the accompanying stretch and soft blinking sent his direction were… rather distracting. Cloud looked like a huggable human doll, no other way to put it. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he decided to leave any further punishments for some other time. He would need to see the report first anyway to determine what actions were reprehensible.

        Watching as the 14 year old rose and swayed a bit on the way to his room, he reminded himself once more of just how young the blond was, reinforcing his determination not to let anything out of the ordinary develop. He was almost ten years older, not to mention the blond’s boss.  
        It also meant keeping others away from him. He knew for a fact that Rhapsodos was interested, and the mentorship offer meant he’d be spending more time with the auburn First. Along with Zack and Angeal. Reports were also indicating Kunsel ate lunch with a spiky haired blond in the cadet cafeteria almost consistently. 

        Hearing a soft thud from Cloud’s room, he walked down the hall to the doorway. Cloud was lying on his side on the floor, pyjama pants on and T-shirt halfway off, sound asleep. It looked like he stumbled trying to lift his shirt over his head and, after falling over, had decided to sleep where he was. Amusing, but it would undoubtedly leave him with a few stiff muscles when he woke, so Tseng swiftly lifted and deposited him on the bed, tugging the covers up over the blond’s shoulders. Like this, so tired he couldn’t make it to the bed, Tseng knew he wouldn’t bother with any more punishment than what he’d said earlier.

        For _Cloud_ that is. Rhapsodos needed to be disciplined. Seeing as he was left to supervise, it was undoubtedly the auburn First that had taken Cloud out, wandering bahamut-knows where. Cloud had no doubt been willing to go, but he hadn’t been allowed out of the building since his arrival. That was excusable. 

        After sending a brief message to the other Turks still out searching for the blond, he sent another to the silver General. As it turned out, Rhapsodos still hadn’t been found, so when Reno and Rude popped into the apartment to check on things, he sent the redhead out to help with the hunt. Rude on the other hand, he left in the apartment.  
        “You can have the day here. Reno will do your paperwork later.” He smirked. Rude grunted and plopped down on the couch. “He probably won’t be awake for several hours. Kitchen is at your disposal.”

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~G~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

        The following morning, though Genesis still hadn’t slept yet, he found himself strutting into the recruitment office a few minutes after 6. After his recent adventure with Cloud and the various discussions they’d had on the way back to SHINRA, he found he couldn’t let go of the fact that the blond had been rejected from SOLDIER _five times_ before he _intentionally_ attracted the Turks attention. That anyone could pass up such an opportunity astounded him, and while Cloud was still 14 and would have been 12 or 13 when he first applied, that ought to have been overlooked given his hometown. _The scientists love that place,_ he shuddered. Though, it wasn’t as repulsive of a thought than it used to be. He’d seen a new side of Hojo lately, or rather one that had always been there, just buried under the disturbing exterior. So not _all_ scientists were insanely sadistic bastards, some of them just pretended to be. He briefly wondered how exaggerated Sephiroth’s stories from his lab days were, but disregarded it. Maybe he would ask later when the star General managed to track him down. After parting ways with Cloud, they’d had another vague conversation during which Genesis mentioned he was back but never indicated _where_. If he listened hard enough, he could probably hear doors slamming as the other stalked the hallways for him. 

        After some time, Kunsel had caught him in a stairwell and they walked the compound for an hour or two. He had fully enjoyed teasing the 17 year old with bits of information, enough to know he’d been out with someone the entire evening but not a clue as to who it was. The younger SOLDIER thrived on information, and listening to him attempt to bend the conversation around back to things that interested him was hilarious. 

        For now though, there was an argument to be had. A very loud argument, over the utter incompetence of the buffoons currently staring at him in surprise. He prided himself on the poorly masked horror he saw in a few sets of eyes. Good, his reputation still preceded. 

        “Now which if you half-wit simpletons have read the last name _Strife_ before?” he watched as a dark haired man in the back looked towards the nearest door. "We will have _words._ ”

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~S~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

        Near 7 o’clock, Sephiroth’s PHS rang. He still hadn’t found Genesis and was both worried and incredible annoyed. If it rang again he would answer, as very few people bothered calling him twice if he didn’t pick up. Glancing through another office door on, whatever floor this was, the people inside barely had time to register his presence before he was off down the hall. None of them had auburn hair. That was the last office on this floor too.

        His PHS began ringing again, and he pulled it out of his pocket as he stepped into the elevator. It could be Genesis, Angeal, Zack, Ronald Shinra, or any of the Turks. No one else called him twice and it was usually important if they did. Watching the screen light up again, the caller ID read Reno. Wonderful. He pressed the answer button.  
        “General speaking.”  
         _“Reports of an irate auburn in Recruiting yo. Sure you can handle it.”_ There was a click. Slipping his PHS back into his pocket he sighed, and pressed the button for the Recruiting office floor. _Gen, what the hell have you gotten into lately?_ He wondered. Both he and Angeal had noted their fiery companion often disappeared on Saturdays. He’d be gone the whole day, but they hadn’t pushed it. He’d also been friendlier with the Turks as of late, and Sephiroth knew for a fact that a Turk had gone missing last night. Once Rufus was brought back, he’d seen more Turks than usual, scour the floors for something, or someone. Even Tseng was poking about, asking questions. If Genesis had gone somewhere with a Turk, something was definitely going on and he didn’t know about it. And it bothered him more than it ought to.

        As the doors slid open and he strode through, he could see a few scorch marks along the wall. Given the wide eyed employees crouched behind their desks and peering over or around them down a different hall, he assumed Genesis was that way. None of them were injured so the fire was just for show. Clearly though, something had upset his Commander.

        Rounding the corner, he paused for a moment to listen, hearing Genesis rant about something. It was mostly incoherent grumbling. He caught several curses and threats, mostly questions as to why someone wasn’t accepted the first time they applied. It appeared as though everyone in the room was already aware of the individual’s name, because for several minutes Genesis consistently referred to whoever it was as “him.” He caught the word “strife” but couldn’t make sense of it, and finally gave in, walking up behind Genesis and wrapping his arms about him, pinning the auburn’s own to his sides.

        “Commander Rhapsodos, care to explain?” He voiced, lifting the slightly smaller soldier off the ground and carrying him out of the room. Genesis had all but frozen upon hearing his voice, letting out a soft sigh. Were he not so enhanced, he would have missed the softly phrased response.  
         _“...Not really, Seph.”_ Now that pissed him off.  
        “Do you have _any idea_ how much paperwork is on your desk right now?” He hissed into the red Commander’s ear. The resulting groan made him crack a grin.

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Ru~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

        After the Rufus debacle yesterday, Rude was a little uncertain whether or not he should allow the second blond into Tseng’s apartment. He was pretty sure Shinra had grounded his son and confined him to certain floors, but he wasn’t aware which floors those were. Cissnei was accompanying the older blond though, so he assumed it was fine.  
        “Mind if we stop in for a bit Rude? It’ll be easier to keep an eye on them if they’re in one place with two of us.” She asked. He grunted.

        It later occurred to him that it might not have been the best idea. The two had been on the couch for less than twenty minutes before they started talking in what sounded an awful lot like code. He’d have to chat with Tseng again to try and decode a few words and phrases. Something about sweet honey when it was clear they weren’t talking about food. Rage helping. Clear vision. It was a very odd, disjointed conversation, but Rufus had left with a rather smug expression after having Cloud enter his number into his PHS. Cissnei had checked it, and it _was_ a PHS number. Right amount of digits, dashes in the right spaces. He wasn’t sure if she knew Cloud’s number though, so it could have been someone else’s, or a string of numbers the same length as a PHS number but used for a different purpose… 

        Well, too late now. Cissnei and Rufus had left half an hour ago. Now he and Cloud sat at the table, eating toast. If there was one thing he’d instantly liked about Cloud, it was that neither of them had to speak. Looks and grunts alone could be an equally interesting conversation. Or no conversation at all. Silence was always nice.  
        Reno didn’t know how to appreciate silence _at all._

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Ruf~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

        He’d managed to convince Cissnei to let him visit Cloud this afternoon. Subtly mentioning the younger blond here and there, having two Turks to watch them. They were back now though, and she was outside his apartment door.

        Honestly, they should know better. Should he want to, he could leave without any of them noticing. The Turks practically raised him and as a result he picked up several skills his father would be appalled to hear about. For now though, he had what he needed. A laptop and a code.

        Tseng had left them alone long enough the last time he visited they’d been able to plan the entire thing out. Cloud had been subtly building in a monitoring program within the Turk network as he worked, a few lines of code here and there. It was a default program buried in a massive stack of digital files, so hidden that it wasn’t likely to be found. And even if it was found, no one would know what it was. They’d fear deleting it in case it was important for computer functionality, and if they did delete it the system would reboot and download it from the SHINRA servers again. And Cloud could control what it was looking at, give certain people access to certain things. Like his father’s personal computer and PHS data.

        Rufus already had Cloud’s PHS number. Today, Cloud had given him the specific access code for his father’s devices, and now as he sat with his laptop, all he had to do was find the program. _SQUALL._

        Recalling the definition as having something to with violent weather, he chuckled. _Cloud’s hidden sense of humour must be rubbing off on me,_ he thought, before delving into the folders to find it.

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Ruf~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

        The more he read, the more disgusted Rufus became. The documents, the notes, the PHS messages. An absolutely atrocious attempt at writing smut between himself and Scarlet. Yeah, that had definitely been disturbing. There was also a spreadsheet detailing when, how often, and how long he went to the HoneyBee Inn and various other whore houses and escort services in other cities. All in all, his father’s exploits were comprehensively revolting.

        Towards the end of the evening however, he found what he was originally looking for. A long correspondence with some woman named Amalia Deusericus, talking about an illegitimate child. _So we really are half brothers,_ he thought, wondering if Lazard knew. Eventually the woman stopped asking for child support and started asking how her son was after he’d been hired as head of the SOLDIER department. He’d suspected for some time now, that Lazard and he were related. They had the same pale, brassy blond hair and facial features, though Lazard was much older. It wasn’t important to him unless Lazard had a legitimate claim on the company, but based on the emails his father had sent back the company would still go to Rufus himself. _How thoughtful,_ Rufus snorted. 

        Ronald Shinra had already been married to Rufus’ mother when Lazard was born, and he was holding to that union even after Rufus’ mother died. Of course, that was only for the sake of his public image.

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Ruf~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

        It was at this point his PHS rang, the ID informing him it was a wall phone from the Science Department’s main lab. Perfect. Hojo had the test results.  
        He had popped into the lab during Cloud’s mako testing to ask Hojo to compare his own DNA to Cloud’s. It was highly unlikely they would be related. Cloud’s hair was more platinum than brass, and his features were far too refined and northern, but there was still a chance. His father had been in Nibelheim some time before Cloud was born. Unlike with Lazard though, he had no fear the company would go to Cloud if they were somehow related. Cloud was younger. But it’s still be nice to know just how many possible half brother’s he had out there.

        Answering the PHS, he waited for the typical grumbling of an assistant. Surprisingly, it was Hojo himself.  
         _“Unrelated.”_ The scratchy, almost slimy voice sounded out, before Rufus heard a click and dial tone.  
        “That solves at least one mystery,” he said to himself as he focused back on digging through his father’s personal files. He wasn’t sure how much more he could read though. Some of it made him seriously nauseous.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **A/N:** Hey guys! Sorry for the delays. I should have another chapter up later tonight, and _maybe_ one tomorrow. After that it should go back to Mon/Tue and Fri.
> 
> **P.S.** Next chapter finally returns to my original plot. I think the last.. 5 or so chapters were all off track. XD


	16. Meeting Angeal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two years. Cloud was furious. Two years he had been applying to join SHINRA’s army, every time a recruiter came to Nibelheim.  
> Over the weekend the Turks experience a security breach, and a week later Turk headquarters are disrupted by the laughter of a noisy redhead, after having found a video posted by one of the most notorious hackers on the darknet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **A/N:** I lied, this isn’t part of my original plot yo. This _thing_ has to happen in the main plot, but every time I try to write, it feels too early in the story. We’ll get there eventually… ;)  
>  Short chapter.
> 
>  
> 
> **Disclaimer:** I own nothing but the plot, and my writing style.

        As various people served their punishments, namely Zack and Genesis, the next week rolled around quickly. Angeal, having less paperwork to do because of the others, had taken to local missions and spars with Sephiroth. Less so now that the General was wandering around the cadet halls dressed in a third uniform, muttering about nosy Turks and photos of bruised cadets. Upon questioning the man, Sephiroth had tried to use a gardening analogy to convince Angeal to help him, something about weeding bullies out of the program.

        Normally Angeal would have jumped at the opportunity to instill a sense of honour and integrity into the cadets, but it had been quite some time since he had time to himself and he intended to enjoy it. Not to mention, his first face to face meeting with Cadet Krut was today. After a short debate over Pizza in their offices, since he didn’t want to disturb their work, they’d composed a rotating schedule for after Krut’s normal cadet training.

        The boy apparently had duties elsewhere and wasn’t allowed to explain, but they’d been pushed back until later in the evening. For now, Genesis had the teen for Tuesdays and Wednesdays, Zack for Thursdays and Fridays in an attempt to get him to spend the weekends with the younger First and open up some more, and Angeal had Monday afternoons to walk him through SOLDIER beliefs and things relative to company politics that weren’t taught in his regular cadet classes. And it was closing on time for the boy to show up. His classes had let out a few minutes ago.

        After careful consideration, Angeal had settled for meeting on the 50th floor. Since his own instructions and mentoring had nothing to do with physical activity, the employee lounge was a comfortable and relaxed environment for most who visited. Which wasn’t actually that many people. Either way, they could sit and talk for as long as he needed to cover the material, and anywhere else would draw too much attention. Especially the cadet floors. He’d been mobbed by eager cadets one too many times, and though he hoped to see some of them eventually make it into SOLDIER, right now he had other things to be doing with his time. Except for meeting with Krut. What the cadet could have possibly done to gain so much attention he hadn’t a clue, but over the course of his mentoring periods he fully intended to find out. With Nibelheim as a hometown, the scientists would be fighting over him in no time, and the Turks were already well aware of him. The question of _why_ still remained though. What could he have done for that to happen? His class scores were average at best, though his weapons training was a bit behind. From what Zack had said, Krut had already made major improvements there, so he wondered just how bad the boy had been.

        Now, as he stood by the elevator waiting, he wondered if the cadet planned on showing up. By all reports Krut was always on time, if not early, to his classes, but he should have been here by now. Having pulled Krut’s PHS number from his file, he sent the kid a quick, informal message, and jumped as a PHS chimed directly behind him. There, standing not four feet away, was Zack’s Chocobo. While not an appropriate or considerate nickname, he had to admit it fit the kid perfectly. Spiky platinum hair, eyes curious and yet suspicious at the same time… It was actually quite hard to read Krut’s emotions, surprising since he spent so much time around Sephiroth. And he’d been close enough Angeal should have felt his presence if not heard him move. _Was that natural stealth or built from a life of avoiding notice?_ Angeal wondered. Now that he focused clearly though, he could hear the blond’s breathing was a bit jagged, slowing with each passing second. By the smell, he’d probably showered before arriving via, what Angeal assumed, had to be the stairs. In the event he _had_ actually marched up roughly thirty flights of stairs, there was no sweat to show it. Just a crisp uniform and a passive expression. No, not quite a passive expression, for just as he was studying the cadet, the cadet studied him.

        “You’re late kid. Take the elevators next time.” Angeal smiled and motioned towards a set of chairs near the wall. No sense in spooking the kid. If he had a wall near him he’d be less focused on keeping track of the environment around him and more on the SOLDIER First in front of him. From the first glance he could tell Krut was wary of the areas around him, of the people near him as well. Perhaps the actual lessons could wait until next time, to spend today getting him used to being around a First other than Zack. This was probably his first entirely one on one situation with a First Class anyway. Krut was shaking his head even as he moved to take the seat in the corner, checking for other exits in an almost subconscious manner.

        “Motion sick, sir.” He was startled out of his thoughts. In comparison to his own former pupil, the boy’s voice was a mere whisper. Easily picked up by enhanced hearing, but Angeal imagined it made dealing with non-enhanced personnel rather difficult. Anyway, that answered the elevator question.

        Over the course of the next hour and a half, Angeal kept up a slow paced conversation. Clearly it would take more work than he thought to help Krut open up, seeing as how the boy had stuck to one or two word answers whenever possible. When he did speak more than that, it wasn’t by much. He spoke the bare minimum, very concise, and at the same time vague enough to annoy Angeal with the lack of information he was getting.

        What could have made the kid like this, and what would happen to him _because_ of it? At one point a sleeve had ridden up along Krut’s arm and revealed some minor bruising, which only reinforced his prediction that no matter what he tried, Pete Krut had been bullied for most of his life and didn’t expect that to change anytime soon. He had wondered what kind of person could _dislike_ Zack, and now he knew.  
        Someone who had lost the ability to trust.

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~C~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

        Cloud, for the most part, enjoyed his first meeting with Commander Hewley. One of the first things the man had done was give him a wall to put his back to, and ask that he call him Angeal. Not fond of formalities, the First had said.

        Genesis had spent several hours one Saturday night just talking about the man, his childhood friend, so he already had a good idea of what the raven haired First was like. It seemed Genesis hadn’t exaggerated at all.

        What bothered him though, were the looks. Was _the_ look. Angeal kept looking at him like he pitied him, wanted to help him. Cloud didn’t understand _why,_ at the moment he didn’t need help with anything. He was being mentored by three SOLDIERs First Class, was a part time Turk and part of the Turk family now, was getting paid a constant and plentiful paycheck, and got to do something he enjoyed. 

        Granted he hadn’t signed up to play cadet, but it was nothing he couldn’t handle. A few scuffles and punches here and there wasn’t that bad compared to Viva’s hand to hand training, and if he really wanted to he could beat the living daylight out of the normal cadets. That would draw too much attention though, and they were still working on finding the drug suppliers. Either way, Angeal gave him that _look_ any time he thought Cloud wasn’t paying attention and it bothered him more than he’d admit. Like Angeal thought there was something terribly sad or wrong about him. He’d been looking forward to meeting Angeal, but this….

         _Meh, at least I get to spend the next two afternoons with Gen._ he thought to himself as he and the raven First parted ways. Maybe they could plot something to mess with Fair together.

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~G~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

        Angeal hadn’t shut his trap for hours last night. He wasn’t used to that. He was used to being the one talking, not listening. Even Zack had found it weird, how much Angeal talked about 'Cadet Krut'.  
        Today though, it was his turn to mentor Cloud for the afternoon, after the normal cadet classes. He’d come out of a meeting just in time to catch Cloud on the stairs, heading up to where they would meet for training. The 53rd floor had SOLDIER gyms, perfect place for materia practice.

        For the rest of the walk up the stairs, they talked about Cloud’s first impression of Angeal, though he stuck to calling him Cadet Krut for now. Security cameras everywhere, afterall. He knew Cloud understood. The conversation carried on only a short time before Cloud brought up the _look._ He actually found it amusing, how far off Angeal was from guessing Cloud’s emotions. Even Genesis himself hadn’t managed to figure that out yet. After their second or third Saturday lunch, he’d told Cloud straight up to say what he was feeling because, as far as Genesis could tell, Cloud actually wasn’t _capable_ of expressing many emotions. He’d pulled quiet chuckles out of the blond, seen smirks and grins. Every once in awhile he’d catch the younger teen letting out an honest smile, rare as they were. And subtle frowning, Cloud did a lot of that. It wasn’t even a full frown, just the left side of his mouth turning imperceptibly down. And whatever Angeal had seen in Cloud’s eyes, it must have been the colour. Angeal had very little concept of colours, and anything blue meant sad. Even the Puppy understood more about colours.

        Upon arrival at the gym, he kicked a few Thirds out and locked the door from the inside, ripping out a few security camera wires. It didn’t matter much, they’d be fixed within minutes of Genesis leaving the room, but for now at least he wanted some privacy. And for Goddess’ sake he wanted to stop saying Cadet Krut. Every time he said it, he heard it backwards as Turk TEDAC, an abbreviation for Terrorist Explosive Device Analytical Center, which was a subdivision of Turks in specialised training who worked with bombs. Which made him think of the little blond blowing things up with a maniacal grin on his face.

        At least for a short period of time, in this room, he could actually call him Cloud. Which he did for most of an hour before switching to Chocobo, after Cloud unintentionally switched to calling him Rage. The best part though, was that Cloud had a natural affinity for materia. By which he meant, a ridiculously high amount of magical power that came from seemingly nowhere and manifested itself by overcharging a low level fire materia. The damn thing let out a level one spell that was large enough to cover the entire floor of the gym, except a small circle around Cloud’s feet. Holy Bahamut was this mentoring business going to be fun.

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~X~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

        Sometime later, as they sat against a wall during a short break, Cloud had turned to him, stared for a moment in consideration, and simply said “Chocobo Rage.”  
        They never made it back to training.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **A/N:** Hadn’t done anything about the mentoring yet, and Cloud hadn’t met Angeal directly so here that is. Or… at least part of it yo. Zack’s turn has yet to come.  
>  *insert evil laugh here*


	17. Kunsel's Curiosity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two years. Cloud was furious. Two years he had been applying to join SHINRA’s army, every time a recruiter came to Nibelheim.  
> Over the weekend the Turks experience a security breach, and a week later Turk headquarters are disrupted by the laughter of a noisy redhead, after having found a video posted by one of the most notorious hackers on the darknet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **A/N:** Really short chapter, sorry yo. Don’t know how to write training scenes so I keep skipping them. :( Promise, next one will be longer.
> 
> Also, I apologise for any OOCness but honestly have no idea what I’m doing.
> 
>  **Disclaimer:** I own nothing but the plot, and my writing style.

        For the fourth time this afternoon, Kunsel gave Zack a concerned look. He couldn’t help it though, Zack was sitting still. Not moving. That alone set alarms off in his head because Zack the Puppy never sits still. Until now.

        They’d been in the shared apartment for over an hour now, back from a brief mission to the slums. As usual, both had taken a shower and gotten something to eat, and now sat in the main living space. Zack hadn’t immediately gone for the gaming system though, something else clearly occupying his mind. 

         “Zack?” he questioned, hearing a soft mumble from the First. Why Zack had chosen to room with a Second class instead of in a luxurious First Class suite he hadn’t a clue, but he hadn’t complained when SHINRA tore down the wall between Zack’s old room and his. It meant he was privy to information otherwise unavailable, and was on first name basis with the General and Commanders through his association with Zack. That, and good friends were hard to come by. 

         Hearing another mutter, something about chocobos, he called his friend’s name again. The spiky haired First froze, as if only now realising he’d been acting out of character.  
         “Sorry Kuns, just a little distracted. Need somethin’ buddy?” Zack blinked at him. Letting out a small sigh and giving Zack a stare that said he wanted more information than that, he waited in silence.  
         “Right, okay. I’ll do the talking then. So remember that little cadet I was talking about? Two month late addition and horrible with weapons?” Kunsel nodded. “Well, I sort of ambushed him a while back, cracked a rib,” he held up his hands, motioning for Kunsel not to interrupt, “so to make up for it I offered to mentor him, one on one you know? And he said _no_! It’s like he hated me from day one! Anyway, the reason was he’s a _Turk recruit_! I wouldn’t have believed it except he has this creepy stare… Like, worse than Tseng’s. It’s borderline Seph level.”  
         “And this concerns you why?” Kunsel asked, though his interest was already piqued. He’d get a name sooner or later and dig through the Turk files for more information, though he had a sneaking suspicion-  
         “You don’t get it Kuns. The kid is completely innocent. Short, blond, blue eyes like you wouldn’t believe, and he’s only-”  
         “Fourteen years old. You’re speaking of Krut? He’s a Turk recruit?” Kunsel started. He’d been eating lunch with Krut for several weeks and had barely gotten ten words out of him. Pulling his helmet of in the confines of the apartment and running a hand through dark brown hair, he followed up with “What is he doing in the Cadet program?”

        And so Zack proceeded to tell him what he knew about Krut, and the second mentorship offer. By the time he finished it all, Zack was about to be late to his training session with Krut and left in a flurry of motion after glancing at their kitchen clock. Kunsel on the other hand, was left with much to think about and process, compiling several questions for Tseng. And maybe Rude.  
         This changed a lot of things and he needed to reevaluate some of his observations.

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~C~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

         Fair was late. Four minutes late. Cloud had already started the usual warm up routine from class with one of the standard swords from a nearby rack.  
         He was certain the agreement was Thursday and Friday, 49th floor training room at the end of the second hall. A room number would have been more useful but Fair hadn’t offered one in the message left on his PHS, he’d listened to the recording twice to be sure. And the Lieutenant wasn’t here. Never one to pass up a decent training opportunity though, Cloud wouldn’t leave. This was the SOLDIER training floor. If Fair never showed up he could call Gen. 

         _Or not,_ he thought as the young First bounded into the room, followed by a hoard of apologies for being late. Something about catching up with a friend. He stared at the Lieutenant for a while longer before nodding in acceptance, watching as what seemed to be a huge relief lifted off the older teen’s shoulders. Cloud wondered briefly if Fair thought this meant they were friends. _Maybe after this weekend,_ he smirked.

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~T~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

         Tseng silently admitted to himself, Kunsel really should have been a Turk. Then he wouldn’t have to be hacking into the Turk network for information, or triggering almost all of the alarms Cloud had recently set in place. It was expected therefore, when the knock came on the apartment door. He hadn’t even left for the offices yet precisely because he knew Kunsel would come here first. Not that he let it show on his face. But honestly, the teen spent more time doing Turk work than he did SOLDIER. Kid had an insatiable thirst for information of any kind. _Kunsel’s Curiosity,_ he joked to himself. A very special brand indeed.

         Cloud was currently at his second session with Zack, it being Friday. The first on Thursday had gone marginally well, the blond sporting only a few new bruises. So he could only assume that Zack had spilled some information to Kunsel, and though the SOLDIER Second now knew Cloud was a Turk recruit, that was the extent of his guaranteed information. With a nod, he let the teen into the apartment.

         “Tseng,” Kunsel started, snagging an apple from a bowl on the counter before taking a seat at the table, “he’s _fourteen._ ” Tseng nodded in confirmation, before the SOLDIER Second continued.  
        “Young, from Nibelheim so no doubt being monitored by the Science Department, clearly introverted and undoubtedly bullied but is obviously hiding some prior training- don’t bother denying it when it's visible in the way he stands-” Kunsel cut him off as Tseng began to speak.  
        “From what the Firsts have gathered, and they _are_ concerned for his well being in an almost concerning manner of distraction, he doesn’t room in the barracks with the rest of the cadets and has no listed supervisor. His public file is ridiculously vague and the hidden file in the Turk network is largely classified. And don’t think the timing is overlooked. Two months late addition, same time as a certain online incident involving a hacker who hasn’t been heard from since. Based on his last name I’d say it’s an alias in which case the Turks are using him for something. The cadet program doesn’t get any particularly useful information so-”

        “Kunsel.” Tseng stopped him, still standing in the doorway though he’d long since closed the door. Rubbing his forehead lightly and taking a seat, he gestured for the teen to take off his helmet. When the Second class did as asked Tseng reached over and claimed the helmet, switching the recording device inside off. Kid never wanted to miss any details. Returning the head cover he continued. 

        “It is in the company’s best interest that Cadet Krut’s identity remain unknown. The circumstances surrounding his acceptance into the SOLDIER Cadet Program are withheld for reasons beyond certain clearance levels for a _reason._ His rooming situation is confidential, and the conflict with his peers is accounted for. As you are well aware I cannot disclose information of an investigation ongoing or otherwise to anyone below clearance level unless given explicit permission by a select few individuals within the company.”

        They sat quietly for a moment, eyeing each other. In a way, they had both given the other new information and had new things to consider. While Kunsel was clearly unsatisfied, he knew there was little else to be said. Tseng glanced at his watch before offering tea. They had two hours yet before Cloud would be out of his lesson with Zack and headed to the offices, though he’d rather be there before the blond. He still had time to spend with the recruit that got away though. The entire department had had such high hopes for recruiting Kunsel.

        “One question, that’s all.” Kunself let out. Tseng had hoped he would drop the subject, knowing perfectly well he wasn’t to speak of this to anyone outside of the Turks. Not even to Zack. Unfortunately not.  
        “Depends entirely on the question.” He offered.  
        “Fair enough.” Kunsel nodded. “Is he already one of you?”

        Tseng resisted the urge to groan. Of all the questions… Though he could hardly tell the teen across from him as much, the answer to that particular question was somewhat double edged. While yes, technically Cloud was already a Turk, what the SOLDIER was really asking was if they had any chance of swaying the blond to join SOLDIER. Which begged the question of why they would want him. Kunsel would be the only one knowing Cloud as the hacker, so some other skill must have caught their eye. Materia perhaps? He’d have to speak with Rhapsodos. Because in truth, yes, the blond could still become a SOLDIER. His contract as a _Turk_ was not life-binding, but his contract to the _company_ was. Meaning, if Cloud so chose, he could leave the Turks to join SOLDIER, though he couldn’t speak of what he did in the Turks. Hopefully that wouldn’t happen and Cloud’s repeated rejection would be enough to deter him from joining the mako-laced ranks.

        Giving Kunsel a baleful stare, under which the teen winced slightly, Tseng motioned towards the helmet once more, then the door. His silence could be taken as an answer in either direction, but Kunsel he knew was too smart to assume anything. He would take it as a noncommittal answer. Watching as Kunsel made his way towards the door, he thought offer at least a fair warning though, and a bit of humour.  
        “Next time you enter the Turk networks,” he paused, waiting for Kunsel to turn and face him once more, “don’t trigger _all of the alarms_. Reno let you through this time but it will not happen again.” Keeping his face impassive, he watched a small range of emotions flit through the teen’s eyes.

        Cheeks slightly warm and showing it, Kunsel ducked his head and walked out closing the door behind him. Not however, before Tseng heard him mutter _“Should have been a Turk….”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **A/N:** Again, sorry for the short chap guys. Somehow still haven’t gotten back to the main plot yo. Anyway, several people have fun at Zack’s expense next chapter.


	18. To Go Below Plate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two years. Cloud was furious. Two years he had been applying to join SHINRA’s army, every time a recruiter came to Nibelheim.  
>  Over the weekend the Turks experience a security breach, and a week later Turk headquarters are disrupted by the laughter of a noisy redhead, after having found a video posted by one of the most notorious hackers on the darknet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **A/N:** Alright guys, the accidentally deleted google account with all my work on it has been re-activated, so now I can actually update! Unfortunately Aerith is not in this chapter because my plot seems to have run away.
> 
> **Disclaimer:** I own nothing but the plot, and my writing style.

        After the last class of the week, they’d taken the stairs and walked to the training room together. It made perfect sense, seeing as Zack taught that last class, so he’d hid his frown from the other cadets as they left. Many of the looks in their direction had been less than nice, all focusing on the short blond at his side. Zack knew Krut was having problems, he just wasn’t sure how bad. And after Reno’s cold stare following the ambush incident, he’d taken it upon himself to review the bullying policy and he _still_ didn’t have a clear idea what exactly he could do to help. Yet another thing to talk with Angeal about.

        It was the end of Pete Krut’s first week of private training with three First Class, and after yesterday Zack had a better grasp on where to start the sword training. The cadet class hadn’t touched swords yet, but he figured giving Pete and extra hand there would make it easier when the time came. Today, as they warmed up in silence, he looked over the available training blades. Being in the SOLDIER gym, many of them were ridiculously proportioned or simply too heavy for anyone without SOLDIER strength to lift. There were a few standard issue broadswords though, so he grabbed a pair and headed over to the blond, laying one gently on the floor near by. A few minutes later, Pete picked it up and they began.

        “As much as I’d love to start teaching you attacks, the best place to start is probably defensive positions and blocks.” he’d offered, receiving only a nod in response. In fact, nods, shrugs, and shakes of the head were about the only responses he got throughout the session and the same the day before. It was because of this that towards the end he called an early stop and made the offer to go below plate tomorrow as he set the swords back on the rack. He was expecting the offer to be rejected immediately, that he’d have to ask every time they saw each other to wear the younger teen down a bit. The silence behind him made him think so even more, but when he turned around Krut was staring straight at him, PHS in hand. And Zack could have sworn the side of his mouth twitched up as though he was holding back a smirk. He let it go though, as Pete nodded in assent before returning his eyes to the PHS screen and typing something.

        Glad that they were seemingly making progress, and silently peeved that they hadn’t gotten any closer to friendship, Zack set himself to getting a drink of water while he waited for the cadet and reviewed the day’s training. Overall his one on one sessions with the younger teen would undoubtedly help him, but they’d have to customise it as much as possible to make use of his lighter frame. Genesis was more akin to Pete’s body type, but the blond’s height wouldn’t match Gen’s rapier style. Buster swords were obviously out of the question, and even the training broadswords were putting a visible strain on the kid’s muscles. Honestly, if he weren’t so ridiculously busy all the time Zack would have suggested Seph do the sword training. Any kind of Wutaian style blade would be light enough and swing fast enough for Krut to use it with ease. Actually, those two would probably get along very well. And they’d hide away in their antisocial behaviour together. He could see it already, Seph hiding in a dark room avoiding some higher up, and Pete stumbling in to sit in a corner and hide from, well, everyone. For as much as the General disliked most people, Pete seemed to dislike _everyone._ Or at least he was indifferent to them all, but that meant he wouldn’t be starstruck just by being in the same room as Seph. Again, they’d get along wonderfully. Except Sephiroth had found Krut in the labs with Hojo… 

        Zack sighed and did a few squats to clear his head. Today, he’d count it as enough that Krut had agreed to go explore Midgar with him. It would give him a chance to see the kid out of the uniform, out of that stiff posture and in a less regulated environment. The kid would open up eventually. Everyone did around Zack. Because not even Angeal could resist his almost patented _Puppy Eyes_ look.

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~G~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

        As soon as the message arrived, Genesis set the various reports and papers he was reading down on his desk and headed towards the elevator. Angeal gave him a confused look as he passed heading the other direction, probably reporting something to Sephiroth, but seemed to shrug it off as Genesis’ usual shenanigans. Taking it for granted, Genesis slipped into the elevator Angeal had just vacated, and hit the button for the 64th floor. The Turk offices.

        Only SOLDIER Firsts, Turks, and the Shinra bloodline used the elevators this high up, so he didn’t worry over being delayed. The doors opened two floors down and he stepped off into the Turk domain, looking for a flash of bright red. After noting it through a window in a private office, he proceeded through the common area despite the odd looks from Cissnei and a few others. So long as they let him through they weren’t going to be a problem. He did however, note another head seated in Reno’s office and waited for the man to leave. Or he was going to, until Tseng motioned at him through the open door and the two Turks called him in.  
        “Rhapsodos, how has your paperwork been lately?” Tseng asked. The smug bastard was smirking at him now. So that’s where it all came from.  
        After his adventure with Cloud the week prior he’d had mountains more than usual. So Sephiroth and Tseng had united to conspire against him. He shot a glare at the Wutaian. Obviously it wouldn’t do much but it felt good.  
        “He hadn’t left the building in _two months,_ Tseng. I dare say it was good for the both of us, and as a First I _can_ supervise him on my own.”  
        “Clearly not when it involves technology. We’re aware of his activities, Reno will figure out whatever he’s done sooner or later.”

        Genesis snorted. If they still hadn’t pinpointed what Cloud had done, they likely never would. Regardless, it wasn’t harming anyone other than the President, who none of the Firsts really cared for. “I doubt that,” he muttered, turning towards Reno. “Might I have a word?” Reno blinked at him, glancing at Tseng.  
        “Anything you two could possibly have to discuss is well under my clearance. What do you need?”  
        “Awww come on Bossman. What if it was, you know, personal yo? Like what if I want him to bend me over my desk and- ouch!” Reno yelped as Tseng smacked the back of his head. “Aight, fine, have it your way. What is it Auburn?” There was a silence for a while, as Genesis eyed Tseng.

        “Actually, seeing as you were a recent victim Tseng, you’ll likely be able to help.” he let out a grin. “What would you say to paying back one Zackary Fair for his various pranks?”  
        Tseng closed the door and took a seat once more, turning his full attention to the Red Commander.

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~C~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

        By the time he’d shaken Fair off his trail and made it back to the apartment, he arrived to an audience. Both Reno and Gen were sitting on the couch discussing something that involved the use of the word ‘pickpockets’ more than once, and Tseng was calmly sipping tea at the table. The Wutaian was the first to notice, having long since grown accustomed to a lack of sound when Cloud opened the door, and it took a few moments for the others to quiet down and see him slipping his shoes off in the entrance. Judging by the sparkle in Reno’s eyes and the silent amusement in Tsengs, it was fairly clear Genesis had let them in on the plan, and probably developed it further than they had in the training room Tuesday and Wednesday.

        Setting his bag in his room and returning to the kitchen, he filled a cup with leftover tea from Tseng’s pot and settled down at the table with a few crackers. It was a wonder Tseng had managed to find them in Midgar, the same brand he ate so often in Nibelheim. After nibbling on the edge of one for a minute, Cloud took a sip of tea and rekindled the conversation with a simple “Fill me in.”

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~C~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

        After waiting in the cadet lounge on the 23rd floor, Cloud was relieved to see a head of dark spiky hair show up at the far end. Sitting idle for more than half an hour, especially out of uniform, several cadets had taken notice. A few had even left with a look in their eyes that said they’d be back with support. It wasn’t that he minded getting into fights so much, it was that while undercover he wasn’t allowed to fight back. Viva would be turning in his coffin at some of the encounters Cloud had already had, where the shorter, smaller blond could have beaten the others to a pulp, dislocated things and broken bones, and instead had simply stood or fallen to the floor while allowing others to injure him. He was getting awfully tired of being bruised.

        So it was with relief that he stood in his light wash jeans and grey hoodie, to meet Lieutenant Fair, nodding a greeting. As usual there were several pairs of eyes following them as they headed for the stairs, but with a First Class present they wouldn’t try anything. He couldn’t imagine how much worse it would be if he actually lived in the dorms with them. 

        Fair had immediately started babbling again, something about a good Wutaian restaurant, a market, the train graveyard- “What?” Cloud stopped, looking at the Lieutenant. The train graveyard was a well known training location for the Turks. Even Viva had mentioned it when Cloud was younger.

        “Hah! I see that got your interest. I figured it would, you being so… interested in the Turks-” Fair cut off as someone went by them on the stairs. “Yeah, I’ve been out there with Reno a few times testing explosives for the Weapons Department.” the First scratched the back of his head, “Maaan, Tseng was not happy about that…Woke up more than one monster nest…”  
        “Explosives?” Cloud wanted to keep the conversation going. Zack shot him a surprised look but carried on nonetheless.  
        “What, you didn’t think we tested those inside the building did you? I mean, not that we didn’t try… Scarlet was up for it too but Lazard vetoed it. Anyways, yeah, weapons development has been pretty slow lately, not many new toys to play with so they’re working on bomb tech- wait I probably shouldn’t be telling you this- actually you’re aiming for the Turks so it shouldn’t be too much of a problem.” Cloud grunted.

        They’d made it to the ground floor and took a break from the conversation to purchase tickets and board the train. They were below plate when it picked up again, the Lieutenant dropping to a more serious tone.

        “Say, tell me something. Why do you want to join the Turks? I mean, respect the decision and all, and they’re really aren’t a lot of them but… You know what they do, right?” A nod. “Well, I hope you don’t mind, but I’m gonna try my damned best to convince you SOLDEIR’s cooler. I mean, come on,” he pointed at his eyes, “they make your eyes glow! And give you super strength, awesome speed, crazy senses-”  
        “Pick pocket.” Cloud muttered, watching a kid, maybe nine years old, take a seat at the other end of the car opening the Lieutenant’s wallet. Fair had immediately stopped at the interruption, not wanting to drown out his voice. Cloud snorted “SOLDIER senses, right.” as Fair registered what he said and began searching his own pockets. Sure enough he came up empty handed and spun around on the train, looking for the culprit.

        Spotting his wallet in the hands of the kid, Fair offered “Be right back Spikey!” before bolting off and pinning the pickpocket to the wall of the train car, glancing down as a number of other wallets spilled out of various pockets. If he’d have been paying attention, he might have caught Cloud staring in blatant confusion and muttering _“Spikey?”_ while patting his hair. Hadn’t heard that one before, oddly enough. It caught him off guard. 

        Watching as Fair berated the kid before offering a handful of gil, Cloud fixed his expression, or rather allowed it to fall back to its natural, emotionless state, before the First returned to his side. Waiting until the train stopped and the kid got off with a last glance at Fair, Cloud pointed at the wallet in the Lieutenant’s hand. “More missing.”

        And sure enough, after Fair checked, he let a few swears out. The kid had already taken half his gil and stuffed it in a pocket before he’d noticed. Not before Cloud noticed though. “Maybe I ought to bring you with my everytime I go below plate now Spikey,” the First joked. Cloud didn’t bother retorting. It wouldn’t be the last time Fair said something along those lines. That thought, at least, had Cloud’s mood lifting. 

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~R~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

        When the spikey haired pair finally got of the train, Reno stepped out of the train car just behind them. Foregoing his usual sloppy Turk attire, he’d opted for an old slum outfit he kept for just such occasions. Sure, anyone who knew him from before would still recognise him and know he’d moved on and become a Turk, but for the rest of the oblivious slum residents it served its purpose.

        Reno was well known in the slums, and not just in one sector. He’d run with almost every group for some length of time, never staying with one very long but still making a name for himself. And when the Turks finally picked him up for causing too much trouble, his reputation had only grown down here. Because not only did he survive crossing the Turks, he became one of them and changed his life. It was something the people down here could admire and look up to. Of course there were a few that envied him, tried to come after him a few times, but as soon as his Turk training began to show those attempts had stopped. But he still had sway.

        Grinning to himself and watching as a few wanderers scurried out of his way, Reno made his way down the street, following Cloud and Zack. Officially his job was simply to follow and monitor the pair. Unofficially, he had to make contact with a few of his old groups and cause trouble for Zack, then slip away with Cloud when the First wasn’t paying attention. Reno found himself rather excited for the day’s work, an opportunity he rarely found.

        Zack had been his friend for almost a year now, the whole time he'd been a Turk, and they constantly got in trouble together. Although, the first few months of friendship were spent getting each other in trouble. Zack had made SOLDIER Third in record time, picked up by Angeal the way he was. He was actually down in Wall Market, where they were all headed now, when they first met. Reno had seen the glow in his eyes, seen the training sword on his back, and thought his pockets looked a bit full. Unfortunately one of the stall owners brought to Zack’s attention that his wallet had just been stolen and sent him off after Reno. Crusty old bastard, still upset about that lightning materia that happened to go missing one time while Reno was in his shop. So Zack had taken off after him until they ended up in the train graveyard.

        Now, at that point Reno had been in the SHINRA building without permission on _several_ occasions, and bumped into quite a few Turks. Literally in Rude’s case. And he may or may not have stolen one of Tseng’s guns at some point. And popped a shot off at Rufus for no good reason, though he was just scaring the older teen and never actually hit the blond. There were several other instances he could think of, because after a while he started _specifically_ targeting the Turks when they were below plate. And occasionally above plate. And he’d made the mistake of stealing a kiss from Cissnei in a bar once or twice. That had hurt quite a bit. Anyway, at that point the Turks had been after him for a while, and then he had a SOLDIER Third Class chasing him into the train graveyard. The rest was a bit fuzzy because the Turks on site had tranqued him with enough to down a bull chocobo, but Zack had stayed with him until he knew the kid who stole his wallet would be alright. Following his induction into the Turks and partnering with Rude, they’d bumped into each other quite often after that. Zack eventually pranked him to get back at him for stealing his wallet, and that started the pranking war. It wasn’t long before Tseng told him to knock it off, but by that time half the SOLDIERs were pranking each other and the rest of the Turks had managed to get Tseng drunk by slipping a tasteless alcohol into his tea every chance they got. He still had the video somewhere, though Tseng had ordered it destroyed. Maybe he should show that one to Cloud… Later, he decided.

        So everyone had gone on pranking each other, and joining up for pranks. It seemed only logical that Zack and he would team up once in awhile, but that once in awhile turned into all the time.

        Today though, Tseng had offered to let him wreak havoc on his buddy Fair while the Wutaian and Rhapsodos messed with his apartment. Reno had a feeling the other two Firsts were in for it as well, but no one mentioned it.

        Turning a corner into Wall Market, Reno made himself obvious and waited as a few former associates sidled up to him. They were all younger, some of the kids he’d helped take care of. And as he showed them a photo and sent them out with instructions, he could only smile and pull his hood back up to hide his hair.

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~C~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

        As Zack continued to walk and talk, and talk, and talk, Cloud continued grunting or nodding to indicate he was still listening. Most of it was pointing out certain people who knew Zack and waved back at the First, and shops that had better quality or unusual items. All of this Cloud made note of, constructing a mental map for future use should he ever have reconnaissance missions below plate. The information was useful, though not overly important at the moment. He could just as easily ask Reno to guide him down here some other time. At the moment, Cloud was spending more time staring wide eyed at Fair every time he turned around to look at him.

        Upon suggestion from Genesis, he was continuing his materia training throughout the trip below plate. While they both acknowledged he had a ridiculously large amount of magical power, it was evident from the first two training sessions with the auburn First that what Cloud lacked was _control._ He struggled with letting out _just_ the right amount of power for certain spells, or maintaining a steady stream through the materia. So with a low level lightning materia, every time someone bumped against Fair in the crowd, Cloud would send a small, controlled shock into the First. Too light and he wouldn’t notice, too heavy and it might do damage. Perfect for training really, because the first few times Fair had chalked it up to static electricity. Now though, Cloud had raised the power just enough to really bother him. And every time he bumped into someone he would jump a bit and turn around quickly as if looking for the responsible party. Cloud was the obvious suspect, though Fair hadn’t put that together just yet.

        Aside from that, Genesis had also handed him several other materia. The Time materia he occasionally used to speed or slow Fair’s walking speed without him noticing. Casting light enough for Fair to ignore it was probably one of the more challenging tasks, but the SOLDIER seemed to think his normal speed was easy to keep up with and Cloud’s legs were simply shorter. The less running he had to do, he could be grateful to Gen for. In an attempt to drain his magic, he was also repeatedly activating the Enemy Away materia, though it wasn’t putting much of dent in his reserves. The still hadn’t figured out exactly how much magical power he had, and every sensing type materia Gen had tried on him hadn’t worked.

        All in all, it was a challenge to keep everything working and still not be noticed. On the bright side, it felt great to finally be using that pent up energy. Viva had tried to teach him at one point, with what materia from the mansion, but they couldn’t do much because Summons were apparently too advanced for an eight year old. With Genesis at least, the variety of materia gave him a chance to explore his abilities.

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Z~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

        It had started as soon as they got to Wall Market, and it was driving Zack absolutely. Friggin. Mad.  
        Every little bump, every shoulder that crashed into him sent a shock through his system and he couldn’t figure out where it was coming from. His first thoughts were static electricity but it was too consistent, and it was getting stronger bit by bit. His hair was frizzing up like crazy. So after the next bump, Zack was relieved to see their first destination. Grabbing Pete’s hand he bolted through the crowd and entered, closing the door behind them. Febro, one of the co-owners, took one look at him and switched the open sign off. The co-owners dealt often with SOLDIERs, less so with First Class, but all of them got special treatment. For a price, of course, their best work was almost ridiculously priced. Almost, but not quite because their best work was top of the line, high quality one of a kind kind of stuff. Zack could see the reflection of his eyes on a few blades near the wall, and watched as the glow dulled down to his normal levels. Behind him he could hear Pete breathing, breaths a bit shorter than normal but quiet as ever.

        To his surprise, Zack found Febro addressing Pete first, not himself. Strange, because First Class usually got their attention immediately.  
        “Pete Krut.” The man behind the counter started, tying muddy brown hair into a tight ponytail. The blond at Zack’s side nodded in confirmation. “We were informed you require armaments.” He lifted one part of the counter, motioning the smaller teen through. Zack stood in shock for a while, before following.

        Zack had been in their back store before, where the high quality stuff was. But as they turned down a different hall and stepped down into a tunnel, he knew this wasn’t the usual. This wasn’t the SOLDIER weapon section they were headed to. Which meant, actually he wasn’t sure what it meant. As they passed through an archway into a room he had never seen before, Zacks confusion only grew. There were very few weapons in the room, each with their own rack and nameplate. And _Gaia_ did they look good. He could have been drooling by now if he really were a puppy. And there, in the middle of the room, was Octina’s workstation. Octina, the rarely seen co-owner of the shop, the one who _made_ most of the weapons. Zack had only met her once, when Sephiroth needed a new wrap on Masamune’s handle, and even then it was just a glimpse. She didn’t see the customers unless they were important, or their weapons were important. In which case- _“Bloody sneaky Turks!”_ He swore under his breath, though Pete turned to look at him, face still impassive. Hopefully he hadn’t hear the words, just the noise.

        Not only were the Turks stealing him from SOLDIER, they were already getting him custom weapons. Custom…. Octina… Zack’s mind blurred for a few seconds. Eventually Pete’s movements brought him back to the present with the realisation that Octina didn’t just make blades. She made guns. And Electro Mag Rods. And Shuriken.

        “Huh, guess I can finally tell Seph where the Turks get their weapons now” he stated. Febro shot him a look that said otherwise. “Or, maybe not.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **A/N:** Whole under the plate thing was supposed to be one chapter yo. Everything just keeps expanding and avoiding the main plot.
> 
> Thinking dual scimitars and a gun. Any thoughts?
> 
> P.S. I know absolutely nothing about materia so blame Wikipedia for any errors.


	19. Chocobo Rage

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two years. Cloud was furious. Two years he had been applying to join SHINRA’s army, every time a recruiter came to Nibelheim.  
>  Over the weekend the Turks experience a security breach, and a week later Turk headquarters are disrupted by the laughter of a noisy redhead, after having found a video posted by one of the most notorious hackers on the darknet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **A/N:** Seem to be getting worse at updating on time. (-_-)
> 
> **Disclaimer:** I own nothing but the plot, and my writing style.

         They hadn’t meant for it to get this big. It supposed to be a quiet, quick in and out operation. And then Kunsel had come back the apartment he shared with Zack.  
         Genesis had heard the footsteps in the hall, heard the keycard slide, but there weren’t many places to hide. In the end he decided to straighten up and act like everything was normal. That he was simply looking for the Puppy. Except Tseng was right next to him, and Kunsel wasn’t stupid. _Shit._

**~~~~~~~~~~K~~~~~~~~~~**

         It had been a long night for Kunsel, late night guard shift always was because nothing ever happened he didn’t already know about. So it was a bit of a surprise to come home to the apartment to find Genesis and Tseng already inside, standing in the center of the room waiting for him.  
         _No,_ he thought, not for him. In fact judging by the state of the room, they weren’t waiting for anyone. They were having _fun._

         Slowly, very slowly, a grin spread across his face visible under his helmet visor. “Gentlemen, how can I help?”  
         Genesis’ face blanked for several moments. Tseng’s as usual didn’t change. While the auburn First formulated a response, Kunsel took the time to survey the main room in more detail. It was clear they had already been here for quite a while.

        As he began moving about the apartment, he heard the Commander respond “I suppose you could post-it-note the bathroom. Mind the tub though.” There was a chuckle. Every visible wall in the TV room was covered in dog bone wrapping paper from floor to ceiling. While Zack had known about the Puppy nickname since it started, he still bristled at dog jokes at his expense. They would have to record his reaction when he came back from the day out with Pete Krut. That wasn’t the only thing wrong though. There was so, so much more.

        The ceiling had been covered in puppy photos, with a few close-ups of Lazard’s face mixed in. The man was a constant threat to Zack’s fun and usually the one to hand out punishments. The photos continued through the hall, presumably into Zack’s room. The kitchen was already covered in Post-it-notes, and there were sticks of butter sitting on the floor. They wouldn’t finish that until they were leaving, for fear of slipping. Based on his PHS, all of the clocks were three hours early. 

         Eventually Kunsel finished the bathroom. The tub he noted, was filled with an unknown pink substance, and he refused to ask what it was. Tseng was shredding Zack’s takeout menus and muttering about unhealthy diets, and Genesis was in Zack’s room-”Oh this will be great.” He let out, moving to assist. Zack’s mattress was standing on end, covered in clear plastic wrap with dog treats underneath. Genesis was currently in the process of wrapping it with SHINRA’s ridiculously strong packing tape. The kind even SOLDIERs hated to try and remove. In a few minutes there were no uncovered spaces on the mattress and Kunsel made to leave the room, until the Commander pointed to several rolls of industrial grade duct tape, and smirked. So they set about covering every in of packing tape with a layer of duct tape, and after that began reversing the next layer so the stick side was out, before placing the mattress back into its frame, and returning the sheets and blankets to their original positions. That was going to be hell to remove.

        On their way out of Zack’s bedroom, Tseng brought bags of popcorn in and they covered the floors. The walls and ceiling were the same as the TV room already. The kitchen floor had already been covered in butter, and as an added touch there were dog toys and tennis balls thrown all over the place. _Thank Gaia they hadn't touched my side of the apartment yet,_ Kunsel grinned. He even bothered to pull Zack’s hair out his hairbrush and glue it to Zack’s bedroom door handle, answering the curious gazes with “Has his own Gaia damned brush. _Told_ him to stop using mine. Doesn't even need to brush his hair. Won't change anything.” Genesis gave him a knowing look.

        As the three made it out of the apartment, two intended to go their separate ways and be done with it. It was almost disappointing to see their backs retreating down the hall. As much as he loved Zack, the other teen was a great friend, he’d played too many pranks and made too many jokes, and there were many more people who would pay to help- Actually, now that he thought about it Zack’s office was a great target. Jogging calmly to catch up, he walked behind the two for a bit, sending a note or two on his PHS. When they reached the elevators and climbed in though, Kunsel blocked Tseng’s hand from pressing any of the buttons and broke the silence with “What about his office?”  
        “What about it?” Genesis questioned, before realisation dawned on him as well. Turning to Tseng he wondered aloud, “We’ll have security footage for all of this, yes?” with a devious smirk.

**~~~~~~~~~~K~~~~~~~~~~**

        So here they were. Kunsel had messaged Cissnei, and a secretary he spoke with often, and soon enough there was a mass gathering of people, throwing suggestions this way and that. The whole of bloody SHINRA seemed eager to mess with Zack. And each other. It reminded him an awful lot of the war Reno and Zack started last year. He didn’t even want to know what the other Seconds had done to the gym lockers, and he’d overheard the Thirds making plans for the cadet dorms not ten minutes ago. And someone had mentioned hiding tennis balls around the building like easter eggs. For their part though, Genesis, Tseng, and Kunsel were done. It didn’t matter that they’d sparked a new prank war, leave it to the executives to shut down.

        Zack’s First Class office was taken care of. Every pen had gone missing, every surface in the room was covered in tin foil. They’d found as much paperwork for him to finish as they could and stacked it five feet high on his desk. The ceiling was hot pink and appeared to be glowing, probably something the science department cooked up. Hiding most of that ceiling were balloons with Hollander’s face stretched over the surface, because no one could quite bring themselves to put Hojo’s face up there. Cissnei had popped in with a box of toy SOLDIER Zack figurines, which had always creeped the First out. The eyes had lights behind them to make them glow. On the way out they’d filled the space waist high with foam packing peanuts, and stretched plastic wrap across the doorway to hold them in. With Zack’s level of SOLDIER enhancements he’d probably see the glow of his eyes reflected on it, but it would still be a static electricity nightmare. And after closing the door, one of the Thirds had covered it in caution tape. It didn’t seem like much, but everyone seemed pleased. As for the rest of the building, Kunsel couldn’t say. He took an offer to crash in a fellow Second’s apartment for the day, and headed there to catch up on sleep. He briefly wondered if Zack had gotten the little blond to talk more or not, before drifting off to sleep.

**~~~~~~~~~~C~~~~~~~~~~**

         Cloud was in awe. There was no better way to phrase it. The weapons in this room would have made Viva’s jaw drop. Figuratively, of course, his expression probably wouldn’t have changed. But that little sparkle in his eyes would show up as it did any time the ex-Turk found something amusing or interesting. Out of the corner of his eye, Lieutenant Fair was shifting through expressions rather quickly. It was clear he hadn’t been this far into the shop before.

         As the Wutaian, who introduced himself as Febro and was at least partially Midgarian if the name was any indication, bustled around and put a hand on the other’s shoulder, she startled and spun around with an unfinished blade in hand. It took less than a second, but Cloud could tell from her eyes she’d already assessed the situation and determined there weren’t any threats. It was something he himself did all the time, though it was rare for anyone to startle him. She looked like a native Midgarian. Febro leaned to whisper something in her ear, and her eyes flicked over to settle on his.

         “Little Chic, come here.” She set the blade down. Cloud bristled a bit at the subtle chocobo reference, but decided to let it slide. As he stepped forward she introduced herself as Octina, the primary weapon crafter for the Turks and SOLDIER Firsts. A few more gestures and she was holding a measuring tape to his arm and muttering under her breath as Febro asked Fair about his fighting style.

         “He’s light on his feet obviously, speed over power, dodge over block. If I had to choose I’d give him a lighter, thinner blade like Seph’s, but shorter. Actually, maybe two. I know a couple of guys that could train him in the basics of dual wielding and the rest would come from experience.” Fair offered. Febro was nodding along as the First dove into more and more detail. For having trained him one on one only twice as of yet, the depth of his analysis was impressive.

         “Tseng has given permission for firearms. We start there.” Cloud nodded at the woman closer to him, listening intently as she talked him through the various models. A question popped into his head several minutes later, and after glancing to make sure the Lieutenant was occupied in his conversation with Febro, voiced it quietly with a single word that had Octina freezing, eyeing him with a hard stare at him. “Cerberus?” There was a long pause.  
         “I have not heard that name in many years Little Chic, but yes, it is one of my earlier works. It was never returned though, unlike the others.” Octina stared wistfully at the weapons on the wall. “Every piece is returned to me following the death of their owners, but not his. Tell me, have you seen it?” Cloud nodded. “I was informed he was dead. Whose possession is it in?”  
         “He... Viva is… Living.” He glanced at Fair again. Octina gave him a strange look, shaking her head. Probably the nickname, but by the light in her eyes she knew who he meant. Perhaps he should send world to Nibelheim when he got the chance, but getting an unmonitored letter past Tseng could be a problem. He forced the thought to the back of his mind as Fair bounded over and reached to ruffle his hair. The hand retreated when he saw Cloud flinch though. Still wasn’t used to much physical contact.

         “So what’re we looking at for Spikey here?” The Lieutenant asked. The nickname seemed to have stuck. It didn’t bother him much, better than Fair calling him Chocobo. He’d seen the look in the Lieutenant’s eyes several times, the one that said ‘chocobo’ was on the tip of his tongue. Nearly everyone Cloud had ever known had given him a similar expression. And Fair had been alternating between Pete, Krut, Cadet, and Kid, so having a constant nickname was easier than responding to all of those. “Cadets don’t actually get paid so I’m gonna take a guess and say the Turks are footing the bill yeah?” The shop owners nodded. “Thought so. Anyway,” he turned to Cloud, “What are you thinking? What’s Octina say? Because she gets the final word on these kinds of things.”  
         “Only talked about firearms.” He shrugged.  
         “Firearms? Guns?! Seriously? Come on guys he’s gonna be SOLDIER, just wait and see. He needs _blades,_ and _swords._ Febro! You agree with me right man?” The man’s face remained indifferent.  
         “He will have blades, Lieutenant. More than one, but he is training as both Turk and SOLDIER and will need proper equipment for... either outcome. If you’ll excuse us a moment.” The man held a hand out for Octina and led her to the side of the room.

**~~~~~~~~~~Z~~~~~~~~~~**

         _Since when does ‘a moment’ mean close to an hour?_ Zack sighed, turning to watch the blond at his side. Febro and Octina had spent quite a while in a heated discussion at the side of the room, and while Zack did his best not to listen, he still caught most of the conversation. The first part was about a gun and some guy they called V, but the second half was about what they wanted to do for Spikey. He’d resorted to using that particular nickname because he’d gotten tired of trying to figure out where he stood with the blond and what he was allowed to call him. Cadet or Krut were just too formal. Zack himself hated formalities, especially being called Lieutenant, or _sir_. That one just grated his nerves the wrong way. So he’d been watching for physical responses to each name he tried, and ‘Spikey’ seemed to have least reaction and most response.

         Anyway, Zack thought about what the pair wanted to make as they walked back over. Octina wanted to finally make another triple barrel gun, though this one would act as a medium for materia. Meaning there wouldn’t be any bullets, just a conduit for shooting off spells. What she was comparing it to, he couldn’t guess, though there was mention of a second, less unique gun as a spare. Febro had insisted on twin wakizashi, a tanto sword, and a pair of boot daggers all made from some material Zack couldn’t pronounce. Tseng would probably know, it sounded Wutaian. He’d have to ask next time they bumped into each other. He had a hoard of questions for the head Turk already, one more wouldn’t hurt.

         The two had made their way back over now, seemingly in agreement. If Spikey was getting this many weapons, he had to wonder how many the other Turks carried. Reno had shown him all of his one time, and it was downright terrifying how many weapons the readhead packed at all times. The EMR was the only one he had recognised, but there must have been ten other weapons spread out on the table. Tseng had at least two guns, but Goddess knows what he had underneath the suit. Or what he even looked like out of the suit, or- _No, don’t even go there Fair,_ Zack smacked himself while muttering _“stupid mako, stupid testosterone.”_ He knew for a fact he was straight, always had been. It was one of the common side effects though, from the SOLDIER process. Everyone seemed to turn bi.

         “Come back in two months Little Chick,” Octina motioned to Febro, “He will fit sheaths and harnesses.”  
        And with that Octina turned back to the blade she had been working on when they arrived, Febro guiding them back out to the main store. Or not, really. The Wutaian brought them into yet another room Zack hadn’t known existed, filled floor to ceiling with guns. Lots and lots of guns of makes and models that he’d never seen or heard of before. Spikey moved right up to a display shelf, a microscopic grin spreading through his face. A quick glance at Febro for permission, and the blond was suddenly everywhere. In less than a few minutes, Zack had come to the conclusion that not only did Spikey have _experience_ with guns, he really, really liked them. He’d pulled a few apart and inspected every piece before putting them back together fast enough Zack couldn’t follow what he was doing. And that grin was still there. This was the longest the blond had ever held an expression and it still wasn’t fading. Febro seemed at a loss as much as Zack did, wide eyed and observing as a fourteen year old gushed about the weapons. Well, he wasn’t saying anything but the way he moved around and the almost invisible excitement in his eyes made Zack _think_ this was how Spikey gushed. Eventually the blond calmed down, if it could be called that since Zack wasn’t ever quite sure about his emotions, and was sitting on the floor with seven different handguns, comparing them and thoroughly examining them. Zack was perfectly content to just watch for once, no urge to run around or slice things in half with his buster sword. One by one, three of the guns were handed to Febro who put them back on the correct rack or shelf, and for a while the blond just sat there, staring at the remaining four. Then two more were returned to their places after the materia slots had been looked over again. _That_ much at least, Zack had understood. He felt way out of his comfort zone here. Guns were a regular army thing. And a Turk thing. He’d watched JD, a Second Class, almost shoot his own foot off when he tried using a gun. It just wasn’t something SOLDIERs ever used.

         The two left were both a silver colour, one somehow stained darker than the other. The grips looked a little different, and one had a rectangular, sharp cornered cover around the barrel. Materia slots were the same, a linked pair and one single. The lighter one had some kind of engraving on the sides, but what Spikey was comparing, Zack would never know. A moment later he’d decided on the darker one, and simply asked “Firing range?”  
        Febro nodded and led them out back. Finally, Zack was in a familiar area. Though it was mostly a gun range, they also had wrapped bamboo out here for testing Wutaian style blades, and large chunks of… whatever it was, for testing SOLDIER strength blades, like broadswords and busters.

        Spikey moved up to one of the bars as the Wutaian handed him a few rounds of ammo, and expertly loaded the gun. Zack barely had time to grab some ear cover before the blond was firing away at a paper target. He’d already snatched a pair of earcovers and protective eyewear, and was blasting off from forty or fifty feet away because Febro hadn’t had time to adjust the target. That was supposed to be pretty far for a handgun. After the first round of twelve shots, the magazine was popped out and the second preloaded one inserted, and off went twelve more shots. When those were finished, Spikey had looked at Febro expectantly, and waited for the man to activate the retrieval system. The silhouette target came closer, and Zack took a deep breath. There was a vertical line of holes from bellybutton to skull, two over the heart, and a horizontal line across the bottom of the shoulders. The lines were straight.  
        “This one.” Spikey said, voice the same as usual. Face the same as usual.

        “When the hell do you have time to target practice with Tseng?!” he asked, still shocked. Sure, the blond had been skipping out on the last few minutes of weapons training before the one on one started this week, so he could have been doing it then, but he hadn’t been in the program for three months. No one picked that kind of skill up in such a short amount of time. Spikey blinked at him. Damnit, that was like a universal response for ‘what are talking about?’.  
        “Underarm, shoulder holster?” Febro gestured for the gun, ignoring Zack’s outburst. “Swords’ll probably be hips or back, tanto under the other arm.”   
        “Right side, thanks.” Spikey nodded.  
        As they made their way out of the room and back to the front of the store, Zack bumped into Febro. And got shocked.

**~~~~~~~~~~C~~~~~~~~~~**

         Cloud was thoroughly enjoying his first trip under the plate. Even more so when they got to the weapons shop. More when he met Octina, and absolutely in the gun room. Granted, they weren’t custom items like what he’d been taught with, but Viva had only had two guns. Viva. Octina knew Viva. Cloud wondered again if he should send word to the man, or to his mother so she could pass it on. Should probably check in with Tifa as well but… She’d been a little too clingy when he was leaving. Maybe Zangan would fill him in on how her training was going. He’d only spoken to the man three or four times though so that probably wouldn’t work. Nah, Viva would know. He had nothing better to do up there other than hunt, help mum, take care of Nykulos and the others, and watch over Tifa. He would know.

        As they finished in the shop Febro reminded him to return in two months time, gently patting the holster and gun concealed under his hoodie. They wouldn’t be much use to him under it, but at the moment he had a SOLDIER First Class with him, and second in command of the Turks following him. And his hand-to-hand training. He was fine.

        The Lieutenant was once again bumping into people and flinching from the shock, though he no longer spun around. Cloud had run a risk shocking him in the weapons shop, himself being the only common factor, but it had worked out. Fair had probably returned to assuming it was static, or some side effect of his latest round of mako. They were not ten steps out the door when another pickpocket nabbed Zack’s wallet though. This time, the First noticed it on his own and caught up in three giant steps, snatching his wallet back and ruffling the kid’s hair. Not twenty feet further it happened again, and it continued to happen over and over. One actually managed to melt into the crowd fast enough to get away with the First’s PHS, which ha really bothered him. The kids weren’t bothering to hide their actions anymore, and when Fair finally resorted to keeping his walled in his hand, they started slipping _other people’s_ wallets into his pockets. He was at a loss for what to do, and began ranting as much to Cloud. If he went to the police, they’d think _he’d_ stolen them. The Midgar Police Department’s reputation was, apparently, very stupid. He was SOLDIER though, so they might think he caught a pickpocket. But if he caught the pickpocket, why wouldn’t he bring the person in along with the wallets. They were just desperate kids though, so he’d feel bad about bringing them in. He finally decided to dump them on a secretary’s desk back at headquarters, and was leading Cloud towards a materia stall, when the next unexpected thing happened.

        There are _not_ a lot of chocobos in Midgar, and they were all on the edges of the city where they’d be useful for getting to other nearby towns, but as people cleared the street for the herd Cloud couldn’t help but let out a quiet chuckle. Fair turned just in time to avoid seeing the birds, and a small kid maybe seven years old ran by and tossed a glowing, light purple materia into the hood on the back of the Lieutenant’s back. _Who came up with that one?_ Cloud wondered. The pickpockets were very clearly targeting Fair, and not him, so this was likely part of the prank Gen and Reno had been cooking up. And Reno was following them through the slums. _That answers that,_ He thought, before pointing towards the chocobos. As soon as Fair turned his head to look and let out a curse, Cloud was gone.

**~~~~~~~~~~R~~~~~~~~~~**

         He knew Zack could take care of himself down here, and did so all the time, so Reno had no qualms about leaving him behind and taking off with Cloud. As much as he’d enjoyed watching the kids lift Zack’s wallet and PHS, and the other little things they’d done, he was finding himself a little bored. That’s why when the chocobos came stampeding through Wall Market,, he latched on to Cloud’s wrist and bolted. It was part of the plan anyway, to make Fair think he’d lost the blond down here. And without a PHS he wouldn’t be calling Angeal or the other Firsts for help either. Heh.

         Rhapsodos has messaged him an hour ago, while the spikey haired pair were still in the weapons shop, and he wanted to ask Cloud about that, and told him what had happened at HQ. He’d even sent a picture of Zack and Kunsel’s apartment, and the process in Fair’s office. He definitely couldn’t let Zack rope him into helping clean that mess up. It _was_ still pretty funny that the rest of SOLDIER had taken it upon themselves to goof off like old times though. They all just needed a childish break every once in a while. None of the executives were safe, and Reno could get watch the surveillance videos with a bag of popcorn in his hand once they got home. _Which won’t be for a while yet,_ he reminded himself, watching as Cloud caught his breath. They’d stopped in a street-rat alley he used to use as a shortcut when running from the Turks, to rest up a bit. They’d emerge on the other side walking and let Cloud explore more of the slums without Zack tagging along.

         As they started off again, moving around and passing through various streets and alleys, Reno mentioned old hideouts as they passed. Cloud seemed about as interested in them as everything else, but still hadn’t touched anything or moved in for a closer look. “Buildin a map in yer head Cloud?” The blond nodded. They’d moved into Sector Five now, and Cloud had picked up pace. There was a pretty clear direction in his movements, and Reno knew. Sending a quick message to Tseng, he tucked his PHS back into a pocket and took a breath. Of all the places Cloud could possible find in the slums, it just _had_ to be the Ancient’s church.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **A/N:** I know nothing about guns and am too lazy to research.   
>  Quick question, do I switch POV too often?


	20. I Lost Spikey

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two years. Cloud was furious. Two years he had been applying to join SHINRA’s army, every time a recruiter came to Nibelheim.  
>  Over the weekend the Turks experience a security breach, and a week later Turk headquarters are disrupted by the laughter of a noisy redhead, after having found a video posted by one of the most notorious hackers on the darknet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **A/N:** Didn’t get as far as I wanted tonight but still fun to write yo.
> 
> **Disclaimer:** I own nothing but the plot, and my writing style.

         It had _not_ taken Zack long to locate the active Chocobo Lure materia in his hood. The birds seemed insistent on staying behind him, and there weren’t any pockets back there. What had taken him much longer to deal with was the fact that several of the chocobos had taken an interest in grooming him, and trying to herd him around in the direction _they_ wanted to go. Several escape attempts and a few shouts of _“I’m not one of you”_ later, he finally managed to break out of the herd and get away. It was because of this that by the time he returned to Wall Market, the crowds we about as usual in the middle of the street. Several people were discussing the recent incident and pointed at him as he passed. Wandering around for a few minutes, he was rather frustrated at being unable to locate his _own_ little chocobo. Spikey was nowhere to be seen.

         He spent the better part of an hour searching the immediate area, but as far as he could tell the blond was simply gone. It didn’t help he had no picture to show around and ask, but he reminded himself to fix that as soon as he found him. For now though, he couldn’t search the whole of Midgar on his own. It was closing on noon and the crowds were getting thicker. Zack reached into a pocket for his PHS. He was going to need help for this- except his PHS was gone. Because some kid had run off with it. Before a herd of chocobo surrounded him.

         Heading towards the nearest bar, he knew at least a few off-duty SOLDIERs would be there. It didn’t matter which bar in Midgar you went to, there would be at least one SHINRA employee there at all times, drinking away their problems. That wasn’t restricted to weekends either, it happened all the time. The only exclusion were the seedier bars that made SHINRA employees pay more. No one went to those. Nevertheless, a company employee of any status would have a PHS on hand, and most would lend theirs to Zack. He was a very well liked guy after all. Well, not counting Spikey, which was the real issue right now. And the blond seemed to be lightening up throughout the day. It wasn’t much, but to Zack it felt like a breakthrough in their future friendship. They _would_ be friends, Zack was determined to make it happen.

         Entering the bar, he immediately noted a few standard uniforms. Seconds, and from the back of their heads he guessed Charles Zdenik and Matsuu Pakeda. That would have to do. “Pakeda!” He shouted over the noise and clanking of glasses, watching as the Second swiveled around on his bar stool. The man punched Zdenik in the shoulder, who complained until he managed to turn around and spot Zack. He promptly fell off his barstool while attempting to stand up and salute. Pakeda just chuckled a bit.  
         “Can I do you for, Zack? That came out so wrong man,” he turned to his fellow Second still sitting on the floor, “Charlie, I think I’m drunk.”  
         “Wall so’s am I. Dude barkeep! What’cha puttin’ in the SOLDIER spirits eh?” There was an undecipherable mumbled response. Zack called Pakena’s name again to bring attention back to his issue. He’d been thinking about asking them to help him search, but at the moment it would be best just to borrow the PHS for a moment and send these two idiots home. And maybe check in with the barkeep to find out what was in their drinks. He’d been trying to get Angeal and Sephiroth drunk for ages and nothing seemed to work. Genesis at least, had fun _pretending_ to be drunk, even though he mostly stuck to wines.

         “Pakena, I need to borrow your PHS for a few minutes.” The man started fumbling for his pockets.  
         “Lost yours to the kids again eh? Always were a sucker for the little ones down here man, just like Hewley...Sept he ain’t dumb enough t-Fuck!” Pakena was yanked off his stool to the floor. A poorly contained whisper from his buddy slipped out.  
         _“Shut et moron! He’s First they’ll post ya to Crater fer that”_  
         “Uh, right, one sec sir.” Pakena twitched. Fucking bahamut these two never remembered.  
         “Not sir, it’s _Zack!_ How many times do I have to keep reminding you drunks that I don’t like formalities!?”  
         “Sorry sssZzack. Here, back when yer…. “ The Second trailed off, eyes looking past his superior. “Shiva’s ass Charlie, it’s Scarlet!”  
         “Whaz?! Where- for fuckin- that don’ even look like ‘er you fuckwit, tits are too saggy…” The conversation dragged on. Zack ignored it in favour of snatching the outheld PHS. He hoped they remembered _all_ of this in the morning.

**~~~~~~~~~~AH~~~~~~~~~~**

         He wasn’t supposed to have his PHS on in here, Angeal knew that. He couldn’t help it though, meetings were boring as hell and every once in awhile something urgent would come up and save him from having to be in the same room as Hojo. Sephiroth, seated at his left, looked equally as uncomfortable, but these meetings were mandatory for the General and both Commanders. Or, at least one commander. Genesis had once again managed to get out of sitting in the board room for hours. More importantly, _Tseng_ was gone which meant something else was going on at the moment. And his PHS ringing could be about whatever was keeping the other two occupied. Glancing at his PHS momentarily, he looked up and excused himself from the table, apologizing immensely for interrupting Lazard. The blond shrugged and waved him away.

         Stopping outside the doors to the board room, Angeal once again looked at the display of his PHS. As Commander, every SHINRA employee’s basic profile was on his PHS so he could see who was calling. Pakena, Matsuu. That was odd. Angeal had two different PHS numbers linked to this device, and Pakena was calling the private line, not the company line. Angeal had never given him that number, which either meant the Keepers of Honour had somehow found his number again, or someone he trusted had given it out. Unless, someone he trusted was borrowing a PHS of course. And Zack had gone below blate again today which meant… Angeal sighed and accepted the call.  
         _“Angeaaaaaaaal! Thank Gaia you picked! I was showing him around Wall Market and I lost-”_  
         “Why is it every time you call me you’re in trouble?” He interrupted. “Can’t you ever call to report, or just to talk?”  
         _“Sorry, not right now ‘Geal there’s something more important and PLEASE HELP ME I LOST SPIKEY and-I’m-pretty-sure-the-Turks-are-gonna-kill-me-because-they’re-already-having-custom-weapons-made-for-him-anOhhh my GOD what if someone kidnapped him and is beating him and he’s ort or, or WORSE-”_ he was rushing again.  
         “STOP!” he raised his voice over the PHS. He never liked to yell, but often times it was the only way to get the Pup to calm down for a minute and be able to explain things without freaking out. “Zack, start over. I know you went under the plate to show Cadet Krut around. Are you safe? Is Krut safe?”  
         _“That’s what I mean ‘Geal, I LOST Spikey! I can’t find him anywhere and the chocobos were stampeding me and the pickpockets got my PHS and the static electricity down here is **insane** today and-”_  
         “Zaaack? You _lost_ the Cadet? And the Turks are buying him custom weapons? No, nevermind we’ll talk about that later. Start with the obvious places. Where would you go if you got lost down there? Somewhere public and easy to find. After that check places you might hide, nevermind don’t do that he would never hide anywhere you would- Just keep searching-” There was a loud spattering noise on the other end of the line, and a few choice words. “What was that noise? And stop swearing.”  
         _“...That… I don’t even know, it kind of smells like monster guts but not sure what kind. Someone… Someone dumped it out of a second story window on me-Anyway, ‘Geal I really need help, he’s a great student and has serious talents hidden in him, man you should have seen him with the guns, which reminds me we cannot let the Turks have hi- Fucking hell, have you seen Reno? I’ll bet this is his fault, all of it. He’s probably hiding with Spikey in some awful wearhouse laughing at-”_  
         “Look Zack, Seph and I can’t get out of the board meeting right now but I’ll ask Gen to help you look. I know he get’s along well with the cadet which is a miracle of it’s own so he’ll be willing to help. I’m sure Gen will be down there as soon as possible but I really have to go for now Zack, I’ll help out as soon as I’m out and I’ll bring Seph with me.” *click*

         Angeal slipped his PHS back into his pocket and stood there for a bit, shaking his head. This whole situation was becoming a rather large mess. And how on Gaia did the Pup manage lose- _No, you know what?_ Angeal decided, _I will deal with this later._ And with that the raven First took a few deep breaths, and marched back into the meeting.

**~~~~~~~~~~R~~~~~~~~~~**

         Eerie. That was Cloud right now, Reno decided. They’d been walking for thirty or forty minutes now and the blond still hadn’t changed direction. He knew it was possible Cloud might have looked up a map at some point, but there was no reason to visit an old rundown church. And Cloud had never been there. So they could have been headed somewhere else, but Reno had the distinct impression Cloud _knew_ where he was headed. As they left Sector 6 and Wall Market, the blond had gotten a somewhat glassy eyed look and simply started walking in that general direction. That was the first indicator Reno got that led him to believe they were headed for Aerith. And now that they’d been walking for this long he was all but certain. The Church was in sight and Cloud made no move to turn aside. He’d reverted to his usual monosyllabic answers, grunts, hums, and shrugs in response to Reno’s occasional question, and the whole bloody thing was Just. Fucking. Eerie.

         As Cloud pushed the left door open and slipped inside, Reno sent another message off to Tseng about the blond’s unusual behaviour, before following in. To his surprise, Aerith wasn’t there in her usual spot, but flowers certainly were. Cloud had moved to the edge of the boards, kneeling in front of them and touching one with a finger. He murmured something, but Reno couldn’t quite catch it. Sitting down on one of the frontmost pews, he asked “Mind repeatin’ that? Didn’ quite catch it yo.” Not that he was expecting much of a response.  
         “It’s…… comfortable.” The blond said quietly. He looked a bit confused.  
         Just then the doors creaked open once more, and Reno turned to see the flower girl enter. Her eyes were glazed over just like Clouds. Reno shuddered.

**~~~~~~~~~~Z~~~~~~~~~~**

         Slicing through another stray monster, Zack was _really_ starting to wonder what the hell that woman had dumped on him, and where the hell she got it from. There was no way it had any kind of a household use.

         He had thought it was just a rough area, there were claw marks here and there on the corners of buildings and other evidence scattered around. But something was definitely wrong with them. Monsters like these didn’t normally come out this early, even though there wasn’t a sky to tell them when it was day or night. They just didn’t. And they hunted in packs, not as individuals, so something was _definitely_ wrong. It wasn’t until the last few that he really started to figure it out, make him wonder about the mysterious substance that was still coating his uniform. Because so far, none of the creatures had actively tried to kill him. There hadn’t been any claw swipes or attempts to bite him, they just tried to get close. And once they got close, they were trying, as near as Zack could tell and it was pretty hard to admit this to himself, to mate with him. And it wasn’t even their mating season!

It was the most disturbing thing that had happened to him in a very long time and he really, really wished it would stop. Even worse, he couldn’t get the sticky goop off his clothing no matter what he tried. Or his hair. Even if he bought a spare set of clothes and ditched his current ones, it still wouldn’t come out of his hair. 

         “If I have to go to the Science Department to get this shit off, you’re dead.” He muttered to himself, thinking of a certain redheaded Turk. It couldn’t _all_ be Reno’s fault, the static shocks weren’t something anyone could control, but with Reno’s slum connections and constant presence around Spikey, Zack had no doubt that the pickpockets, the chocobos, Spikey disappearing, this… monster attractant sticky stuff, it was Reno’s fault. He just couldn’t think of anyone else to blame, and he _still_ hadn’t found Spikey. It was closing on three in the afternoon and he hadn’t seen the barest hint of those fluffy blond spikes. A few loose chocobo, maybe, but they were all too yellow to be Spikey’s hair. At least the pickpockets had left him alone for the time being.

**~~~~~~~~~~G~~~~~~~~~~**

         Tseng was looking at him with mild satisfaction. It was nice to see on the normally impassive Wutaian features. They had finished with Zack’s apartment, and his office, and were lounging around the Turk offices on the 64th floor in the piece and quite. For an office floor they an awful lot of spare space, but then again there weren’t many Turks. They had room to stick a few extra, extremely comfortable couches in the area. If he ever need time away from the rest of SOLDIER, with all their macho egos, Genesis thought he might pop in here. As he thought this his PHS began to ring, and with a sigh he flipped it open to answer. Unsurprisingly it was Angeal, going on about his Pup losing cadet Krut and needing help. But of course, Angeal and Sephiroth were tied up in the board meeting because it had been extended an extra two hours and they had a short ten minute break which Angeal was using to call him. Letting him explain what he knew of the situation, Genesis watched Tseng, well aware the Wutaian was close enough to hear the conversation.  
         “Well dear friend, his PHS got stolen. I can’t very well team up with him if I can’t communicate with him.”  
         _“Genesis! It’s cadet Krut that’s gone missing, I thought you’d at least be worried about him if not the Pup!”_  
         “As much as I’m sure he would appreciate your concern Angeal, I am busy right now and believe me when I say Pete Krut can take care of himself.” He turned, Tseng had tapped him on the shoulder.  
         “Reno says they’ll be out longer than intended. Unforeseen interference.”  
         _“Gen was that TSENG? What are you doing with the the Turks? Are you in trouble again or-”_ *click*  
         Smiling at Tseng, Genesis had a thought spark. “Why don’t we go turn the toaster in the executive lounge around to hide the lever and label it voice activated? We can think of something to keep Angeal distracted from rescuing the Puppy while we’re at it.”

**~~~~~~~~~~Z~~~~~~~~~~**

         It was closing on five, according to the shop keep he’d asked a few minutes ago. The woman had taken pity on him and given a spare shirt and sweater left over from her deceased husband. Honestly, he couldn’t imagine why anyone would wear the sweater, it was hideous, but it was still better than walking around with so much monster… stuff on him. It wouldn’t all be gone until he scrubbed his skin raw in a shower later, but it had to do for now. Spikey had been missing for 5 or more hours now, and Genesis still hadn’t shown up to help him. _Hopefully_ Krut really was with Reno, and was safely back in the SHINRA building. Things tended to ked nasty late at night down here. He’d been walking around and asking about a short blond with chocobo hair, looking in every corner and alley. He’d walked through most of Sector 6, some of 7, and cut back through 6 to wander around 5 where he was now. On the bright side, after the chocobo incident the static shocks had stopped, but he was still wandering pretty aimlessly looking for the blond. And he’d forgotten to get something to eat, and was getting slightly tired. Physically he was fine of course, the mako took care of that, but mentally he was utterly exhausted.

         Turning down a side street, he could hear a few construction workers somewhere near by. In fact, a large portion of this area had construction supplies and a building frame or two. He was just beginning to wonder where the gil for construction was coming from when a loud roaring started up, presumably one of the machines. He thought nothing of it and continued on.

         Or tried to, before he found himself suddenly in the air, facing the ground as he was lifted higher. Struggling a bit to get free from whatever this was he could hear the construction workers laughing, see them one street over as they pointed at him. The thing lifting him was metal, he could feel that much, and there wasn’t anything latched onto him. Running through possible scenarios in his head, he could only conclude he was somehow stuck on a building crane or machinery of some kind, or glued to it. It was metal though, maybe a magnet. He didn’t have his sword on but had been too lazy to remove its harness, and the magnet on that thing was ridiculously strong. As the thing began to swing off in a different direction, he was nearly high enough the workers wouldn’t hear him well, but he started shouting either way, saying anything, everything he could to get noticed again.

**~~~~~~~~~~C~~~~~~~~~~**

         The flowers were beautiful. The building was beautiful, if a little run down. Cloud had just decided he liked it here, despite the odd sense of confusion he felt upon entering, when the girl entered. Reno seemed a bit tense but otherwise made no move to interfere with any interactions.

         As she moved forward they locked eyes, and he could see… something. Once more the _comfortable_ feeling overtook him and made him welcome in this place. It oddly enough reminded him of the caves Chaos had explored with him on one of their adventures, specifically the one with the mako spring.

**~~~~~~~~~~Aer~~~~~~~~~~**

         There were people near her flowers, she had felt it. To Aerith it wasn’t an unusual feeling, people stopped by the church to see them all the time. But something wasn’t _quite_ right. So once more as the planet started communicating with her she zoned out and made for the church. When she got there, she wasn’t surprised to see a certain redhead. But the blond, he was new.  
         “Hello. Would you like one?” She gestured behind him. He blinked.  
         “Yours?”  
         “Oh no, they’re for everyone!” Aerith startled, making her way towards the flowers and kneeling at the edge of the whole in the floorboards. “I do grow them but-” she cut off as she touched a soft petal. An overwhelming feeling of confusion took hold, a feeling Aerith _knew_ was not her own. The planet was _really_ confused.

        Muttering to herself now, ignoring her surroundings, she caught clips of the numerous voices. It wasn’t very clear, but there were at least a few words in there.   
_Life, dark, light. Balance, bad, missing. Light, light, light, where? Where where where…_ She felt the planet swing its attention elsewhere, searching… She looked at the blond, now seated next to her, then turned wide eyed to Reno, and back to the blond. “Excuse me but, would you tell me your name?”

**~~~~~~~~~~LD~~~~~~~~~~**

         So much paperwork. It never ended. He wondered how they managed to keep the General at a desk so often. With the amount of paperwork Lazard did, Sephiroth ought to have none at all. That wasn’t the case of course, the General had just as much if not occasionally more than the SOLDIER Director. 

        The meeting had ended an hour ago, and Lazard was here, sitting in his office, doing paperwork. Or trying to. The stacks of white paper were growing by the hour. Every so often someone would come in and drop another stack on top of the others, and it had taken him a while to piece things together. He was sure he had Zack and that Turk to blame. The redhead. Because most of the reports coming in were about the pranks. Once again, the entirety of SOLDIER was off pranking each other, and the executives, and gods those poor cadets were in for it.

        There was a thumping noise, then a metal clang, and before he thought to look up something brown and furry fell in front of him, onto his desk. Then another, and another. And several more after that, they moved fast enough he couldn’t count. They had some kind of clothing on, with numbers on the back, and Lazard realised all too late that the last assistant had left the door open. Out they all went, their numbers skirting off into the offices followed by a number of shrieks from the female secretaries.

        A second metal clang, and he looked up just in time to see the vent above his desk slamming shut and a helmeted individual smiling down at him. Damned if he didn’t already know who it was, but honestly letting the boys all have their fun now and then was good for morale and stress levels. He sighed, still looking up at the half face visible through the vent, underneath the helmet.  
“Kunsel, where the bloody hell did you find that many squirrels?”

        The face stopped smiling and disappeared without a sound.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **A/N:** I know there’s only a little bit with Aer but honestly her character is hard to write. Will start next chapter in the church.


	21. Surveillance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two years. Cloud was furious. Two years he had been applying to join SHINRA’s army, every time a recruiter came to Nibelheim.  
> Over the weekend the Turks experience a security breach, and a week later Turk headquarters are disrupted by the laughter of a noisy redhead, after having found a video posted by one of the most notorious hackers on the darknet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **A/N:** Wow, hey guys. Long story short, my own cat attacked me and damaged my vision because I was taking care of a mom cat + 6 kittens and smelled too much like other cats. Can almost see normally now if I keep my right eye closed, so here’s a chapter. Will try to catch up as fast as I can but looking at screens for too long kind of hurts.
> 
> **Disclaimer:** I own nothing but the plot, and my writing style.

        Cloud wasn’t sure how to react to the girl that entered the church. From Reno’s reaction the older Turk already knew her, or was aware of her. He filed that away for later inquiries, though he suspected they might know each other from the redhead’s life in the slums.

         “Cloud.” He offered her. Reno didn’t tense, so clearly security clearance was not an issue here. Stretching briefly, he returned to his position by the flowers, four or five feet away from the girl.  
         “I’m Aerith Gainsborough then. It’s nice to meet you Cloud…” She trailed off, looking for a last name.  
         “Strife, Cloud Strife.”  
         She started giggling.

**~~~~~~~~~~Aer~~~~~~~~~~**

         If she thought his first name was odd, his last name only seemed fitting. The conflict his presence brought to the voices in the lifestream made it incredibly hard to hold back her laughter, but a light giggle managed to escape.

         Honestly it wasn’t that funny, but she’d never felt the planet so confused before. She got the sense it was serious, but then again _everything_ the planet focused on was serious. So she stifled the end of her giggles and moved in to tend the flowers. Cloud was watching her cautiously, with the occasional glance in Reno’s direction. Which reminded her, the Turk was clearly not here to watch _her_ , he was here to watch the blond. 

         “Are you like me, Cloud? Can you hear them sometimes?” She wondered aloud. The lifestream didn’t react like that to everyone, like it hadn’t focused on his existence until she met him. It _knew_ he existed, it just hadn’t really acknowledged him. Reno cleared his throat as she pulled a flower, turning to the blond. He looked a bit younger than her, maybe two or three years. The most beautiful blue eyes she’d ever seen, even nicer than Rufus Shinra’s, which she’d seen when Tseng brought the older teen down to meet her once. _Elmyra certainly hadn’t been happy about that. Her adoptive mother didn't want Aerith to have anything to do with anyone from SHINRA._

        Cloud was shaking his head now as she approached. He didn’t know what she was talking about. _Damn. It would have been nice to not be the only one left._ Aerith reached forward and tucked the flower behind his hear. She noted he held his breath when she got within a foot or two, seemed a little nervous. Smiling, she turned to Reno.

        “As much as I enjoy the company, Reno, it’s unusual for anyone to be down here unless they’re watching _me._ Is it alright if you tell me what’s going on?” The redhead sighed.

        “Aight Doll, let’s all get comfortable yo.” the Turk motioned towards the front pews in the church. A minute later he checked the perimeter and sent another note to Tseng, before returning to start the whole story from the beginning. All of which began with a much younger Reno, a permanently _borrowed_ laptop, and a fanclub for a mysterious hacker. 

**~~~~~~~~~~Aer~~~~~~~~~~**

         Close to an hour later, Reno was just finishing the explanations of Cloud’s current position in the Turks, and his undercover stint in the cadet classes. There had been much laughter on Aerith’s part, and she swore she saw Cloud crack a tiny grin at one point. She’d almost missed it, and it disappeared as soon as he noticed her watching, but she was sure it had been there. The redhead was saying something about the SOLDIERs all taking an interest in training Cloud under his cadet alias, which she thought was amazingly simple but no one had figured it out yet, when what sounded an awful lot like a scream started getting louder and louder Cloud had noticed it long before Reno or her, and was staring intently at the roof. The sound did, in fact, seem to be coming from that direction, and as a few more seconds passed she could only stare in shock as a black blur crashed through the church roof and destroyed a few beams before landing with an awful cracking thud in her flowers.

**~~~~~~~~~~Reno~~~~~~~~~~**

        Cloud was just a blur in the next second, suddenly hovering amidst the flowers with a blade glinting in the available light pressed against whatever had crashed through the roof. There hadn’t been a sound when the blond moved, which even Reno had to admit was impressive. He’d been coming here to watch Aerith as soon as he became a full Turk, and even he had trouble keeping quiet in here. The floorboards were fucking ancient and almost every single one squeaked when any weight was put on it. Even more impressive, Reno noted, was that despite the rushed movements, Cloud’s feet had somehow managed to avoid most of the flowers. The thing, no, _person_ he corrected, laying on their back in the flowers, not so much. Those ones were definitely crushed. Sliding Aerith behind him and glancing briefly at the hole in the ceiling, he shifted forward to take a closer look at the spiked hair and familiar features underneath Cloud.

        “The fuck yo?” he squatted down at the edge of the flowers, reaching forward over them to poke the one and only SOLDIER First Class Lieutenant Zackary Fair in the cheek. Cloud’s eyes were ever so slightly wide in surprise before they narrowed and the blade on Fair’s neck disappeared. _Have to remember that,_ Reno reminded himself. He was pretty sure Tseng hadn’t cleared the blond for weapons possession yet, and they’d need to know where Cloud got his hands on a blade. It had been slipped back into the blond’s boot now, as a low moan broke the silence and the tension in the air, and Cloud retreated to stand near Aerith. He could hear the younger Turk muttering short assurances that the SOLDIER was friendly. Another short moan followed the first, and glowing blue-violet eyes snapped open.

        Leaning over Zack with a frown he offered “Makin’ a habit of damaging company assets Zack? Don’t try so hard, we all know how important you are.” There was a snort, but the First made no move to get up just yet.  
        “You know me Red, can’t settle for boring. Have you seen Spikey by the way? I lost the chocobo…” A hand moved to his head, coming back with blood. “Shit, that can’t be gUGH-!” Zack cut off as a thin wooden board came flying in to smack him in the head again. _This_ time, he sat up to glare at whoever threw that. “What kind of ass kicks a dog when he’s dowwwwwhy hey there Spike, been lookin for you!” Reno glanced between the two spiky haired individuals as Zack continued to talk. “Oh, uhhh, you didn’t hear that part about the chocobo right? Because if you did, I meant one of the ones from earlier… Because I’m trying to catch them all, I didn’t mean you…” He continued to falter as Cloud stared at him.

        Ever one to interrupt awkward conversations, Reno stood to slap his EMR in the other hand. “Aight everybody, s’nough excitement for one day. Doll, best be headin’ home ‘bout now,” he waved at Aerith, “And Zack, your asset surveillance privileges are revoked effective ‘mmediatley. C’mon kiddo, Boss’ll be wait’n for reports.” He pulled Zack up with an outstretched hand before releasing him and latching on to Cloud. Aerith had all but bolted when Reno offered the chance and was long gone, and Cloud and he were almost out the door before Zack caught on to his slip-up.

        “Reno, what surveillance?!” Fair started jogging to catch up before they got out of sight. _Well shit, Tseng ain’t gonna be happy._

**~~~~~~~~~~Seph~~~~~~~~~~**

         While the meeting had ended hours ago, Sephiroth still found himself bored out of his mind. If he went back to his office, there’d be piles upon piles of paperwork to fill out. If he went back to his massive, empty, lifeless apartment, he would still be bored. So here he was 9:30 at night, wandering the endless SHINRA halls with Angeal, looking for Genesis which was _not_ something he particularly wanted to do.

         They knew _something_ was wrong, the auburn had spent far too much time with the Turks lately. And he disappeared every Saturday for at _least_ three hours, but it was black-out so his location was scrambled and the Turks stopped anyone from following him around. And now their friend had refused to help Zack, or the cadet he’d seemingly bonded with and refused to talk about to them, and was not in his usual haunts. Now they wandered the halls looking for him so they could drag him out to help look for Fair and the missing cadet. Except, they still couldn’t find him, and hadn’t seen a single Turk in over an hour.

**~~~~~~~~~~Angeal~~~~~~~~~~**

         _Mother of Gaia, Gen, where are you?_ Angeal wondered for the umpteenth time, watching as Sephiroth’s hand twitched when a secretary passed them. The man had an irrational hatred of secretaries, went through them like the butterscotch beer he kept in his fridge. They’d looked in all Gen’s usual hideouts, common spaces he used to threaten the Thirds and Cadets, or read Loveless out loud to anyone who listened, but he just wasn’t there. He wasn’t anywhere. And Tseng was not answering his PHS when either he or Sephiroth called. He was certain it had been Tseng’s voice earlier, when he called Genesis during the meeting.

         After the normal spots, they’d gone to the top floor and began working their way down. One would take the stairs, the other would take the elevator and they’d scan each floor thoroughly just to make sure Genesis wasn’t intentionally hiding from them. And to try and find any of the Turks. What they found instead was a building filled with insanity.

         The 67th floor was, to put it lightly, a disaster zone. They hadn’t ventured near Zack’s office, but their own had obviously been entered and messed with. Angeal’s own office had dog toys and bones and puppy manuals all over. Some of the paperwork had been shredded and thrown about, and there was a _dog bed_ underneath his desk. It wasn’t too bad since most people in the company respected him a lot. The same could be said of Sephiroth, who had spent ten minutes correcting the positions of everything in his office. Much to the silver haired man’s annoyance, everything had been moved three inches left. Or, almost everything. It took him a while to figure out what was wrong when he over corrected because some things had been moved two inches right. And the desk was upside down.

         While everything was harmless enough, just office pranks, his secretary was giggling and warned him against entering Zack’s office. Angeal had taken her advice. Anything above the 59th floor was restricted clearance, limited to the Turks, the Shinra family, and SOLDIER First and Second class, but as they ventured further down the tower it became more and more evident that whoever had done this had clearance for _everything_. Or at least someone helping them who did. Which could explain where Genesis was, since his office was untouched. The Turk floors were also left entirely alone, but that only meant whoever was doing this didn’t have a death wish. Even the idiots in the army weren’t foolish enough to bother the Turks.

         The foyer on the 58th floor was covered paper streamers, photos of the HoneyBee girls which Angeal politely took down and recycled, and the floor was covered an inch thick in Sephiroth’s worst nightmare. Powder glitter. Even Angeal couldn’t stifle a laugh at Seph’s expense then, watching him twirl around trying to brush it off his boots with one hand, only to have the stuff get on his hand, which he wiped on his pants, and tried to brush off with his coat. The more the general twirled and spun around frantically trying to rid himself of the sparkling terror, the more he kicked up from the ground. By the time they made it down to the next floor Seph had it everywhere and was giving death glares to everyone that crossed their path. No one dared to take a photo.

         The Science Department lab floor was left alone, though the offices weren’t. They had simply heard Hojo yelling at everyone and not bothered to check the whole floor. The executive offices were similarly in various states of disarray. The lockers and gym rooms on the 53th floor had weights and poles stuck halfway through the walls like the SOLDIERs were playing frisbee with them, and they hadn’t opened the lockers to check simply because of the smell emanating from that area. The communal SOLDIER shower on that floor had been painted entirely chrome with a mirror finish and was very disorienting. The personal storage rooms on 52 had nicknames and comments scribbled on their doors about the respective owners, the librarians on 51 were running around yelling at each other and trying to put everything back on the correct shelf, and had been for hours apparently, every VR room was set to the chocobo farms, and the hallways in the SOLDIER apartment floors were filled with cups of what looked and smelled like coffee. Every table in the SOLDIER cafeteria on 44 was covered a foot deep in pancakes and waffles, the nurses in the infirmary on 40, both male and female, were wearing skimpy outfits claiming the SOLDIER Thirds had run away with all of their normal uniforms and left those behind. It went on and on, got worse and worse, and at this point they had just entered the cadet lounge on floor 23 expecting no better. 

        Except it was dark, no people, and smelled fine. Nothing on the floor, nothing on the walls, and dead silent except the odd noises they’d been hearing from the air vents. And finally, after sweeping the floor thoroughly as they’d done the other floors they could, they found the closet. What was supposed to be a closet. What really turned out to be a secondary, very narrow staircase that wasn’t in the building blueprints Sephiroth had memorised. 

         At this point their chances of actually _finding_ their auburn haired friend were extraordinarily low, so they set about exploring the staircase, and the tunnels it led to. They made it not one hallway before finding a security card reader that neither of their cards worked on, and backtracked to find that every hall had a similar reader and door they couldn’t pass through without breaking it down. Chuckling, Angeal quietly muttered “Always wondered how the Turks got around.”

         Sephiroth nodded, clearly annoyed at not having clearance to any space inside the building, but agreed on moving out until the last second as they were walking down the small hallways, all of which seemed to be between walls. Because at that last second before they exited back into the cadet lounge, they both heard a laugh. A very distinctive laugh of a very elusive SOLDIER First Class, followed by a gentle, almost inaudible chuckle that Sephiroth clearly recognised. And they were off back down one of the narrow hallways, crashing through a door after the general summoned his blade and sliced it off its hinges.

**~~~~~~~~~~Seph~~~~~~~~~~**

         He’d known Tseng was in on this, whatever this was. The entire building had been pranked and toyed with and it could have been anyone. But no one knew how to get on Sephiroth’s nerves anywhere near the level Tseng could. Because they’d grown up together, because 13 year old Tseng had been a Turk in training when Sephiroth was a 10 year old new arrival in Midgar. Because Tseng had been his go to person, his older brother, his only friend until Angeal and Genesis showed up a year or two later. And mostly, because Tseng. Stockpiled. _Glitter._

         Sephiroth had been extremely frustrated with the state his office was in. The glitter had infuriated him beyond the usual levels. The secret Turk passageways had left him feeling somewhat betrayed. And there Tseng was, sitting in what appeared to be a small surveillance room with Genesis Rhapsodos, both of whom barely glanced up at him and Angeal before turning back to whatever they were watching. He was about to pull the chair out from under the head Turk when Angeal slapped a hand over his mouth to stifle laughter, and under his questioning look the raven First directed Sephiroth’s attention to the screens in front of the other two.

         And Sephiroth couldn’t help but chuckle too, anger set aside for now. Pulling up a spare chair from the side of the room as Angeal did likewise, they sat behind Tseng and Genesis and leaned on their shoulders to watch. Though Angeal’s arm somehow managed to lose its spot on Tseng’s shoulder and the raven First folded forward, slumping into Tseng’s lap briefly before righting himself and apologising almost sheepishly. The raven First's face was flushed and he could hear Angeal's heartrate pick up a bit of speed. Sephiroth briefly wondered what could have caused it, before returning his attention to the crowd of people on the screen in the executives lounge. “Tseng, you two better be recording this.” Sephiroth smirked.

         Simultaneously in an almost creepy way, the two looked back at him and spoke _“Oh yes, we are.”_

**~~~~~~~~~~Scarlet~~~~~~~~~~**

         Her office was ruined, her _clothes_ were ruined, her latest explosive shoe design was _ruined._ Everything was destroyed because those bloody SOLDIER-boys were at it _again._ The prank wars. And on top of it all, by the time she made it to the executive lounge there was a crowd of the other executives and secretaries and ignorant office workers around the gaia damned toaster, and Scarlet _really_ just wanted a warm piece of toast.

         She could hear them, all complaining about their own helpless positions and miseries, what the SOLDIERs had done to their offices, how long their _oh so important work_ would be delayed. Something about Squirrels, trying to count them. All irrelevant information. She wanted toast and she was damn well going to get it. Shoving her way through the gathered crowd, she felt the usual stray hand or two groping her ass, slapping them away or using the mild taser she kept in her cleavage. And finally they broke apart to let her through, all watching as she made her way to the counter and pulled out two pieces of bread from the bag, dropping them into the toaster which was notably brand new, and pausing as she reached for a lever to push the toast down.

         There was no lever, only two words printed on the surface of the toaster: _VOICE ACTIVATED._  
         “Now why didn’t I think of that first..” she murmured, ignoring the odd looks people were giving her. But what could the commands be? It was a _toaster._ So, Scarlet went with the most simple one, “down.” and waited. Nothing happened.  
         She said it again with more force before switching to _cook_ , to _toast_ , to anything she could think of because she wanted a fucking piece of toast. Someone interrupted her thoughts though.

         “We couldn’t figure it out either, been here half a damn hour waiting to make myself a toasted peanut butter and jelly.” Palmer commented. Lords this was going to be a _very_ long night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **A/N:** Welp, that’s it for tonight yo. Owe you all 2 more chapters but don’t know when they’ll be up. Hopefully my eye heals up soon so I can type longer.
> 
> ~Ray


	22. Fun?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two years. Cloud was furious. Two years he had been applying to join SHINRA’s army, every time a recruiter came to Nibelheim.  
> Over the weekend the Turks experience a security breach, and a week later Turk headquarters are disrupted by the laughter of a noisy redhead, after having found a video posted by one of the most notorious hackers on the darknet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **A/N:** Yo, I’m back. Still having a few problems but should be posting regularly again.
> 
> **Disclaimer:** I own nothing but the plot, and my writing style.

         The following morning, Tseng had chosen to take the day off. It wasn’t a common occurrence, but yesterday had been a significant improvement from the usual stalk-talk-shoot and hide the body sort of work Turks were used to, and the others could take care of things for a day. Today, he had absolutely nothing he had to get done on his schedule. Except of course, the one little matter he had to take care of before everything else. “Give it up.”  
         Cloud shook his head.

        Tseng was currently sitting on Cloud’s back, the younger Turk pinned beneath him on the floor. It had taken quite some time to get in this position, Cloud’s hand-to-hand skills were surprisingly similar to his own but the switch to a Wutaian form had caught the blond off guard. _He must have been holding back on the skills evaluation._ They’d still managed to break a lamp, and put two holes through the wall too. The reason this was happening in the first place was that despite the very thorough search he conducted while the blond was sleeping, he hadn’t found the knife Reno mentioned. His own weapons hidden about the apartment were still in place at least. Cloud was still shaking his head.

        “Give. It. Up.” More head shaking. He pulled the arm twisted behind Cloud’s back a bit harder. “Where is it, where did you get it?” Cloud stopped struggling. That was progress. He’d been struggling on the floor for fifteen minutes. Tseng waited for a reply, only to close his eyes in disappointment as Cloud shook his head again. He couldn’t pull his PHS out because his other hand was pinning Cloud’s other wrist to the floor. If he let go the blond would probably break the hold and escape, so here he sat. Either Cloud gave up, or they stayed here and wasted a perfectly good day off until someone else came to help him find the damned knife. “Cloud, this isn’t going anywhere. You don’t have clearance for weapons yet and never will unless we can trust you. That’s going to be hard if you keep this up.” There was a snort. _Oh so he thinks this is funny, eh?_ He pulled harder on the arm, tightening his other hand to cut circulation off from the wrist on the floor. A second snort came out, but this one morphed into laughter. _He thinks… This is fun?_ Tseng was confused. Managing to lean over Cloud’s side and get a decent look at his face, he wasn’t expecting to see cheshire grin. An honest smile, not the typical smirk. 

        “What exactly are you finding so amusing?” he asked, before noting the heavily _controlled_ breathing. He noticed it too late though. Cloud jerked his body upwards, then back down and contorted as a muffled, grinding pop sounded out, and suddenly he was shoved off and the blond was sprinting out.

        Tseng heard a door slam, but stayed seated, momentarily stunned at being thrown on his ass by a 14 year old. He was 23 and head of the Turks for god’s sake, that shouldn’t have happened. Then his mind snapped back into gear a second later and he bolted out after Cloud.

**~~~~~~~~~~Gen~~~~~~~~~~**

         They were watching him. They were watching his movements and it was really grating on his nerves. He’d planned on sneaking up to Tseng’s apartment to visit Cloud today, since their usual Saturday meetup was interrupted by the outing under plate yesterday. But Angeal had called Sephiroth, so now they were in the General’s apartment reporting on the first week of training Pete Krut. 

        He’d kept his praises to the minimum. Seeming too invested in the _cadet_ would make them more suspicious than they already were. He did explain the extent of Cloud’s magical powers, just minus the personal commentary. Angeal was now prattling on about how quiet the kid was, and his fears the blond might be bullied, and how his eyes had a sad, tortured history behind them that the raven haired First wanted to help him deal with. It made Genesis want to gag. He did, actually, and got up under the pretense of needing a glass of water for a dry throat. What he really needed was an excuse to leave.

         “Honestly Sephiroth, he’d make a top notch SOLDIER personality-wise. I’m just worried his skills will get buried under the muscle mass the rest of the cadets are throwing around.” He heard Angeal saying in the other room.  
        “I don’t follow, elaborate.” Was Sephiroth’s response.  
        “You’ve seen him in person Seph, _he’s tiny._ Same stick thin build as Tseng but about a foot shorter.”  
        “That would make him 5’2? Tseng is 6’2. That is appropriate for a fourteen year old.”  
        “Try 5’1, and in Nibelheim that is 3 or 4 inches smaller than average. They get their height at a young age so he won’t grow much more. What I mean is he doesn’t have the build or the bulk like the usual recruits, and he probably never will. The SOLDIER and Cadet programs are geared towards muscleheads like Zack and I. People who focus on speed and movement eventually get pushed out because they don’t fit that mold. They don’t stand a chance until they’re pumped full of mako to make them stronger.”  
        “And I suppose Genesis and I are the exceptions to this? I may have broad shoulders but neither of us are what you might call bulky.””  
        “Seph, the three of us have never been normal, you know that. Of course you two are different. But Krut _is_ normal, and he won’t make it, not without help.  
        “What more can we do Angeal? He is being trained by three SOLDIERs First Class. I am busy trying to find out what’s keeping Hojo occupied, and the three of us have duties to attend to as the General and Commanders.”  
        “I want Zack to keep track of him, he never does his paperwork anyway. While I admit Hojo is a concern, the Turks will probably scoop him up before he makes Third Class. I’ve seen Reno lurking around him, and the Pup said they’re getting him custom weapons. From Octina.” 

        There was silence after that, the General thinking on the implications. Genesis knew they’d come find him if he didn’t leave the kitchen soon. Returning to the living room, Sephiroth was sprawled on the couch pressing his palms into his eyes. Angeal took more note of his return though, and turned to pester him. By some stroke of luck, it was around this time that the apartment door opened to reveal a dark skinned, shiny head and a pair of sunglasses. He was pretty sure the Turks didn’t have access to Sephiroth’s apartment but let it slide as Rude quickly surveyed the room.

        “Rhapsodos. CS ghosted.” Rude jerked his head indicating he should follow. Genesis hid a smile. _I’ll have to thank him later,_ he glanced at the other two Firsts in the room over his shoulder on the way out. Sephiroth was watching intently, and Angeal was moving to follow him.

        “Gen, what’s going on?”  
        “I have something to take care of.” He was out the door now, Rude blocking the doorway behind, him shaking his head at Angeal. The raven First made to shove the Turk aside. Rude didn’t budge.  
         “Report contact immediately.” The bald Turk shot a quick look at him to make eye contact. Or at least Genesis _thought_ he was making eye contact. So hard to tell through those shades. He briefly wondered if they would hide SOLDIER glow so he could go out without being mobbed by fans. And maybe take Cloud with him.  
         “Infinite in mystery is the gift of the Goddess. We seek it thus.” He chuckled, and continued off down the hall. He could hear Angeal arguing with the Turk all the way until he stepped off onto the Turk floors, where Cissnei explained the current situation.

**~~~~~~~~~~Tseng~~~~~~~~~~**

         It was Sunday, something he was grateful for at the moment. It meant there weren’t a lot of people loitering in the building today. Everyone was either returning or leaving, outside or hiding with a good hangover. It made seeing the Turk Commander chasing a blond runt seem more like a drunken hallucination. Unfortunately, not many people managed to see the blond runt. Tseng had managed to keep up for a good three hours, but every time he got closer Cloud would dart around another corner and disappear, so he’d been forced to ask a few people in the area if they saw anything out of the ordinary. Which they hadn’t. 

        This behaviour was very unlike the Cloud he’d come to know in the past two months, and he wondered if the bullying had finally gotten to the blond. He was almost always bruised in four or five spots, and declined and healing spells. It didn’t matter much because by three or four days later the bruises would disappear on their own. Cloud’s natural healing speed was incredible. That didn’t help him though, because the other cadets would see the lack of bruises as a sign that someone higher up was giving the blond special treatment, and that never sat well with them. It was a dangerous cycle to be caught in, but he’d thought cloud was mentally strong enough to take the damage. Now he questioned that judgement, more so each time he saw the maniacal smile Cloud was wearing. If he lost track of the younger Turk for long enough, Cloud would loop back around and stick his head out from around a corner with that crazy smile and wait for Tseng to notice before taking off again. Cloud was toying with him, and normally that would be a stupid thing to do to a Turk. Right now though, he had to focus on finding the blond. He’d lost him a few minutes ago and this time Cloud hadn’t circled back to taunt him.

**~~~~~~~~~~Cloud~~~~~~~~~~**

         He hadn’t had this much fun in ages. It still wasn’t quite the same, Tseng kept losing track of him. Then again, _no one_ could compare to playing hide and seek or tag with Chaos.  
         After circling back so many times, Cloud was growing slightly bored. He’d just wanted to get away from the constant surveillance for a while but didn’t actually have a plan. And Tseng looked like he hadn’t had a decent challenge in a while so today had seemed like a good day to test the ropes. Entering a low air vent, he slid down a diagonal shaft to the 54th floor, Urban Development, and went in search of the tea box he borrowed from last time. If he remembered correctly… _Ah, there it is!_ He thought, making his way to the desk. The Urban Development Director had a secretary with the most wonderful tea blend. Viva would probably like it. That thought sent a pang of homesickness through him, though he shrugged it off. 

         Last time he had been down here, there was a cup of iced tea sitting on the desk and no one else was around. It was always hot in the vents so he’d taken a sip and instantly liked it, grabbing a few bags to take up to the offices. Secretary probably hadn’t noticed anyway. Grabbing a few spare bags from the box he’d located in the cupboard, he stuffed them in a pocket and turned for the stairs only to come face to chest with Reeve Tuesti. They’d only met once before, the first week Cloud was here.

         “I was wondering where all the tea disappeared to.” The man looked down at Cloud. He looked _down_. That really irked Cloud. Man had to be 5’9, maybe 5’10. “I think I’ll join you. We can brew it in my office, unless you need to leave.” His smile was actually friendly. That was an improvement from the rest of the executives he’d met. And the man had offered an escape should he need one. Probably knew Cloud wasn’t supposed to be out on his own yet. But, Tuesti was a department head, so that counted as under surveillance. He followed into the office and took a seat.

         “We don’t get a lot of visitors on this floor you know. Particularly Turks.” Tuesti flicked his eyes at him while he poured the hot water. Cloud shrugged.  
         “Not much of a talker then. Okay, mind listening to me prattle on for a while? Got some project ideas I want to run by someone for a fresh perspective, just let me know if I’m insane or not.” A nod.  
         “Perfect!” The man smiled again. “Call me Reeve.”

**~~~~~~~~~~Gen~~~~~~~~~~**

         This… was boring. Tseng was still running about the building looking for Cloud, and he was stuck on the Turk offices in case Cloud managed to get ahold of an unlocked PHS and contact him. Reno sat next to him screening through surveillance streams. As if Cloud would be caught on video so easily. He fixed the program for the cameras. He knew where all of them were. And none of the Turk corridors had cameras in them. Genesis found the much needed distraction though, as a familiar head of dark spikes made their way onto the SOLDIER First office floor, just under his own apartment. Zack was headed for his office.

         Nudging Reno with a foot that had been resting on the desk, he directed the redhead’s attention to that particular screen. The Turk slid a spare disk into a machine on the side, and filled all the screens with cameras feeds from that angle, hitting a single key before relaxing back into the chair. A chair Genesis noted, just before he turned back to the screens, was one that put his own office chair to shame. “This must be the chair you confiscated from Cloud’s setup at home.”  
         “Hn.”

**~~~~~~~~~~Zack~~~~~~~~~~**

         Yesterday had gone so horribly, Zack thought. And Reno still hadn’t responded to his message asking about the surveillance privileges the Turk mentioned. To top it off, he hadn’t been able to as if Spikey knew about it either because as soon as they made it back to headquarters a pack of Seconds dragged him off to help clean up some mess in the communal SOLDIER showers, and a few cadets from his class were asking for assistance rescuing their fellow cadets from… Zack still wasn’t sure what. There had been four or five cadets stuck to a wall about three feet up, held there by a giant, sticky green glob. The rest of the building wasn’t much worse, and as soon as cleanup crews cleared a section, someone came along and played another joke or prank on the area.

         Now, he’d finally made it back to the offices, knowing there’d be a large stack of papers waiting for him. Angeal said he never did his paperwork, but truth was he just couldn’t sit still long enough to get through _all_ of it. As long as he spent a few minutes here and there signing things in between his daily activities, he could get most of it done. And he had twenty minutes to spare before the Sunday spar the Firsts usually held out on the training fields.  
         “Wait, why is there caution tape on my door?”

**~~~~~~~~~~Cloud~~~~~~~~~~**

         Tea with Reeve had eventually turned into an early lunch. For Cloud it was breakfast but he didn’t mention that. Reeve had spoken a lot about a surveillance tool called Cait Sith he was working on to keep an eye open in the slums, and Cloud had patched the AI system. He didn’t really understand its purpose, but the thing was impressive nonetheless. After that the secretary had returned from wherever, and he left for the stairs.

         He still didn’t have a plan for what to do today. Honestly, heading back to the apartment sounded nice about now. Could make himself comfortable on the couch until the others figured out where he was, and when they did one of them could pop his shoulder back into place. Been running around only using one hand.  
        He hadn’t done that in a while, dislocate it on purpose. He only knew how because Viva wanted to make sure he could get out of the same kind of hold Tseng had him in this morning. And he’d learn to dissociate the pain. Still hurt like hell, but he could tune it out and convince himself it was just a dull ache. So he did just that. Flopping down on the couch once he made it through the door, he almost fell asleep. Almost, but not quite because something hard was in the couch pushing against his thigh. No wonder Tseng always sat on the other side.

         Shifting about until he could dig the thing out, Cloud sat staring at the gun in his hand. It made sense, really, for a Turk to have weapons hidden in his home, but Cloud was beginning to wonder just how many there were. He’d already found the switchblade in his light fixture, the knife he’d borrowed yesterday inside the shaft of the small fan in his room. And there was the gun behind the porcelain tile in the shower. Maybe that’s what he’d do today, while Tseng was out running around. See if he could find all the man’s weapons.

         To start with, he found eight more in the couch. Should he count the knives in the kitchen? A lot of those were _not_ cooking knives, though that’s what the Wutaian used them for.

**~~~~~~~~~~Legend~~~~~~~~~~**

         Opening the door to Tseng’s apartment, he wasn’t surprised to see the young blond on the couch. They’d been introduced during the hacker’s first week in the Turks before the Commander sent him off to hunt the Nibelheim forests for Cloud’s unidentified mentor. He was back now, with nothing to show for it, but still opted to report directly to Tseng.

        The weapons splayed all over the place seemed a bit odd, but Cloud was cleaning them with the same care the Commander normally would. Tseng had probably asked the blond to do it to keep him busy, something apparently more difficult than predicted. He’d heard about the incident with Rhapsodos two weeks ago, had a good time imagining the Red Commander dragging the blond behind him as they ran from Red Leather members. Luckily no one in the restaurant had gotten a clear image of Cloud, and based on the postings online everyone was too excited to bother remembering his appearance off the top of their head.

        The younger Turk had glanced over his shoulder at the intrusion, for that certainly seemed to be how perceived the orange haired man taking his boots of in the doorway. Legend was tempted to snort. Instead, he peeled his blazer off and hung it in the hall closet before making his way into the kitchen to steal a banana. Nibelheim was a Gaia forsaken frozen hole in the middle of a fucking glacier as far as he was concerned, and he hadn’t had _fresh_ fruit since he left to go there. Everything the locals had was imported from warmer places. And it was kept frozen.

        Seeing as Tseng’s dress shoes were absent from the entrance, he pulled a few files from the lining of his suit and slipped them under the Wutaian’s bedroom door. The majority of his report was there but it was customary to deliver a verbal report as well for the Commander to go over in case they left something out on the paper files. Watching the blond as he finished his banana, he dropped the peel in the trash and was about to pick his boots up to carry them out until he could find his normal white uniform shoes, when he heard a brief swish of fabric and felt the air currents shift slightly. Cloud managed to dodge the kick he spun around with, and knocked the following punch aside with a hand before Legend remembered who he was. Kid was damned talented to be able to sneak up on a Turk like that and not be fatally injured.

        “Careful.” he warned, eyeing the kid as he took a step back. It looked like Cloud had expected as much. He’d have to ask Tseng for a break between missions to get to know the kid. There was clearly more than met the eyes, and with no trace of the mentor in the blond’s hometown the blond himself became the only link they had. Actually, that in and of itself could be considered a mission. And he’d still have time to rekindle flames with the ladies on the upper plate after being gone close to two months. 

        “Assistance would be appreciated.” The kid interrupted his musings, gesturing with one hand at the opposite shoulder. Following the motion he took a closer look. Something about the slant of that shoulder was off. Watching as the younger Turk unbuttoned and removed the casual shirt he was wearing until only a white tanktop remained, Legend could see the area was discoloured, and the awkward connection between the upper arm and the shoulder.   
        “I can do that.” He nodded, wondering how long it’d been dislocated.

        As he left the apartment a few minutes later, Legend silently applauded the blond for not screaming. Popping a shoulder back in hurt like a bitch.

**~~~~~~~~~~Tseng~~~~~~~~~~**

         Reno hadn’t called him. He couldn’t call Cloud because the Blond had left his PHS in the apartment. Rhapsodos was under watch and Cloud hadn’t contacted him yet. At last though, Tuesti had called him about having a wonderful lunch with the blond, and wanted to do so more often. By the time he got to Urban Development Cloud was long gone of course. So he checked the labs, and the Science Department offices. Hojo hadn’t seen Cloud, only chuckling to himself and muttering under his breath.

         Eventually one of Kunsel’s contacts mentioned seeing a short blond heading up the staircase, and had trailed him up to the Turk apartment doors. Kunsel of course, had offered the information in exchange for a certain slum contact he’d been pining after. So Tseng made his way up the elevator to his apartment. It was early afternoon and he’d been wandering the building for hours looking for Cloud. This couldn’t be allowed, couldn’t happen again. But it was either the blond finally cracked under pressure, or he was having fun. If it were the latter, they had to find another outlet so he didn’t just up and disappear for hours again. Thank gods the President hadn’t gotten word of this. Since Cloud wasn’t really a flight risk they hadn’t bothered notifying anyone outside of the Turks, except Rhapsodos. So not only did they need to find an enjoyable, creative outlet for the blond to let loose in, they had to come up with a punishment the blond might actually care about.

         Swinging the door open, he wasn’t surprised to see Cloud slouched on the couch with his back to the door. He _was_ surprised, as he moved further in, to see the array of weapons spread out over the blond’s lap, the couch cushions, the coffee table, and the floor. _His_ weapons. And Cloud was sound asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **A/N:** Tseng and Cloud are adorable yeah? Always think of Tseng as possessive/protective. Still working on the Angeal/Tseng idea though. ~(0-0~)


	23. Nothing Looks Broken

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two years. Cloud was furious. Two years he had been applying to join SHINRA’s army, every time a recruiter came to Nibelheim.  
> Over the weekend the Turks experience a security breach, and a week later Turk headquarters are disrupted by the laughter of a noisy redhead, after having found a video posted by one of the most notorious hackers on the darknet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Disclaimer:** I own nothing but the plot, and my writing style.

         Tseng stood watching the blond breathe for while, deep breaths in a pile of weapons, and snapped a photo with his PHS for personal keeping. He looked an awful lot like he had in the helicopter on the way here from Nibelheim, closer to unconscious than sleeping. It was hard to be angry with the small cherubic face, eyes occasionally moving behind their lids. The sight only strengthened his resolve to increase the amount of physical activity Cloud got. Cadet classes were clearly not enough if he’d had the energy to run around the building all day. Being stuck in an office for so long, at such a young age, wasn’t helping either.

         Eventually, Tseng began to check over his weapons and return them to their hidden locations. He had to wonder how long Cloud had been back at the apartment, since Cloud had found 114 of his 138 hidden weapons, and since most of the guns looked as though they’d been cleaned. He wondered further where Cloud had attained the knowledge to do so, who his mentor in Nibelheim had been. The matter was still under investigation of course, but the trail was cold. None of the native profiles had anywhere near that kind of specialised knowledge, and the follow-up interview with Ayira Strife had only revealed that Cloud had an adult male friend living in the forest. The man was nowhere to be found when they searched.

         When he finished returning most of his weapons to their proper places, it was closing on nine. Cloud had yet to wake up, though he’d twitched some and muttered a few words now and then. It gave him time to think of a proper punishment, as much as he loathed the idea. Cloud wouldn’t like it, he knew, but it had to be done. The blond couldn’t keep running off until the company knew it could trust him. The Turks already relied on him for technological security, and his company had grown on Tseng, but he was still a fourteen year old with skills that were unaccounted for, and a medical condition that Hojo still hadn’t elaborated on.

        Gently tugging a Wutaian style blade, still in its sheath, from Cloud’s arms, Tseng latched it on to the underneath of the couch where it had come from before touching the blond’s shoulder. No movement. He shook it lightly to test how deeply asleep Cloud was, and once satisfied he wouldn’t wake up and attack him lifted the younger Turk in his arms. He could feel a thing wrapping under the casual button up shirt the blond was wearing, and the cold squish of what he assumed was an ice pack. Suddenly reminded of the younger Turk dislocating his shoulder this morning, he was glad to note it had been properly taken care of. Though he did wonder if the blond had done it himself, or asked someone for help while running about the building all day. 

        Pushing Cloud’s bedroom door open the rest of the way with a socked foot, he surveyed the room and set him down on the bed. The room was still fairly empty, left that way for Cloud to decorate as he liked. Bed, bookshelf, dresser, fan, and desk in the corner. The walls were still unpainted. Perhaps next weekend they could finish the space. He headed for the shower. _So much for my day off._  
        Tseng let a smile drift onto his face as he thought about the day.

**~~~~~~~~~~Cloud~~~~~~~~~~**

         As Monday arrived, Cloud rose as usual to begin his morning routine. Get dressed, make the bed, wash his face, brush his teeth. His hand slowed until he dozed off staring at the mirror with the toothbrush still in his mouth, until Tseng’s door opened and startled him awake.

         The Wutaian appeared in the bathroom doorway, leaning on it and giving him a look that said _you’re in trouble but I’m not really mad._ Tseng picked up the toothpaste and squeezed some out on his brush. They maintained verbal silence as they brushed their teeth. Tseng ran a comb through his hair as Cloud dunked his head in the sink and toweled it off. He never bothered to brush anymore, it only made things worse. By the time they were both at the table, Tseng with tea and Cloud with toast, they still hadn’t said anything. He’d noted the blender was missing but shrugged it off. As long as the toaster was available everything was fine. It was when he made to leave for classes that the older Turk finally spoke, watching as he slipped his boots on. “Skip your classes today.” Cloud looked up at him, cocking his head head to one side. “Cadet floors only. Stay onscreen.” _Oh._ This was his punishment then, for taking off yesterday. He felt the right corner of his mouth slip down a few millimeters. This wouldn’t be fun.

         In terms of course material he wouldn’t be missing anything. The issue was with the _people._ The instructors would flag him as absent. Anyone on the cadet floors would try to drag him to class. The cadets would notice his absence. If they found him between classes it wouldn’t be pleasant. And- he stopped as a question popped up. He had a session with one of the Commanders today. “Hewley?”

         Tseng shook his head. Cloud gave him a pleading look. The man slapped a hand over the right side of his face and closed his eyes. It was essentially the same as a groan. “If he corners you, we will interfere.” The pleading look stopped immediately. That was good. He knew he wouldn’t be able to escape the First Class if they cornered him, their mako enhancements were too much. It was one thing to be in an open hall and slip into a corridor they didn’t have access to, but another entirely if he had to stay on the cadet floors. 

        That was the last thing he had to consider. Unsupervised restrictions were tricky things. If he wanted to, he could leave the specified floors. But that would be skipping on a punishment, and the next one would only be worse. Additionally, there was a certain testing of trust involved because they would be looking to see if he left those floors or not. To see if they could tell him to do something, and if he would do it. Standing up, Cloud straightened his uniform out and slung his pack over his shoulder, nodding his head in silent agreement before heading out the door.

**~~~~~~~~~~Cloud~~~~~~~~~~**

        As expected, trouble showed up as the first lecture class let out. The ten minute passing time was much longer than needed, so of course they’d hunt him down in their spare time. He’d found the best place to stay was the Cadet Lounge on the 23rd floor. The lecture halls and training floors would have classes in most of the rooms, and the dorms would be flooded between classes. The cafeteria was too open and had SOLDIER supervisors check in on the hour. There was the infirmary, that was always an option, but he’d rather not have the medical staff yell at him. Every floor had a number of closets in which he could hide, but that wasn’t the point of the punishment. He couldn’t seem like he was hiding, he had to be out in the open. Or at least, in a space public to the other cadets and visible on the surveillance system. So he sat in the lounge and ducked under a table when anyone came through, until the first classes let out. Which was a minute or two ago. He had a book out and was pretending to study, really watching out of the corner of his eye as Parker Ganjen, William Stinsen, and Aeron Cameron marched up, a crowd of cadets behind them.

        “Where ya been blondie? Hiding from life?” There were snickers behind the cadet who spoke, Cameron. These three had been the lead bullies, two of which he suspected to be taking the enhancement drugs the Turks were looking for. Cloud shook his head.  
“Aww, little chocobo too afraid to talk? Or would be be wark?” That was Ganjen. Stinsen was watching for reactions. Mentally Cloud bristled at being called a chocobo, but let it slide. It would take too much effort to force a frown. He kept reading.

        One of the followers, the cadets behind the three that were too afraid to disappoint in fear they’d be the next target, yanked his book off the table and threw it on the ground. A few others stepped on it.  
        “Whatt’sa matter Birdie? Momma Fair not hear to hide you under his wing?” Cameron again. Cloud pulled out another book and flipped it open to a bookmarked page. These idiots weren’t a problem if all they did was ruin books and childishly taunt him for reactions. He’d heard it said if you don’t give bullies reactions they get bored. It had never worked in Nibelheim though, and wouldn’t work here. He just had to remember not to fight back offensively when it escalated to a physical level. Which was now, apparently. They were appalled at his lack of acknowledgement, probably felt humiliated that the smallest cadet was ignoring them. Stinsen had grabbed his hair and slammed his face into the book on the table. _Contusion to forehead, possible nosebleed._ He cataloged the incoming injuries while packing his book back into his bag. He could feel and smell the red liquid beginning to clog one side of his nose. They tripped him as he stepped away from the table. Someone kicked him on his way down, a few more times in the ribs once he hit the floor. Nothing felt injured other than the bruises that would undoubtedly form in an hour or two. Normally he wouldn’t have let the trip take him down. Normally he wouldn’t be in this position because he had the skills to at least fight long enough to escape. But this was supposed to be a punishment, and he couldn’t show his real skill level. They needed the drug dealers to approach him. And maybe, just maybe, he could make Tseng feel guilty enough to let someone take him outside for a while instead of having to escape his supervisors.

        There were several more kicks before he was pulled up by both arms, pummeled a few times in the stomach. Always the stomach, so the bruises weren’t visible unless he showed them on purpose, or in the shower. That was another thing he was certain they’d all noticed by now, he never showered in the communal Cadet showers. In fact, he’d been here long enough that the cadet dorms figured out he didn’t live with any of them. Another point brought up recently, the last time they came after him. By now they’d gripped his upper arms hard enough there would be bruises on them. Someone had repeatedly stomped on his left foot, and kept kicking him in his right shin. Finally though, the lookout at one of the hall corners shouted at them that they had to head to class and they left him to slump to the floor. Definitely couldn’t stay here next break period, but that was lunch. He might be able to hang in the cafeteria until then, faking an ill stomach. He was actually pretty good at making his face go pale to help with that.

        So Cloud got up to head to the cafeteria, stepping lightly on what was probably a sprained or otherwise injured ankle. _At least I’m not limping yet,_ he mentally grimaced.

**~~~~~~~~~~Zack~~~~~~~~~~**

        The day passed relatively quickly for Zack, leading up to his Weapons Training class. He wanted to check on Spikey after that insane weekend, make sure he was okay. Maybe make sure Reno wasn’t polluting his mind with fanciful ideas about the Turks. He only had the time before class to chat, since the blond had one on one with Angeal this afternoon. But as he waited, and waited, and the other cadets started to appear and warm up, there weren’t blond spikes bobbing anywhere. Krut was usually here early, not bothering to use the time between classes for anything other than getting to his next class, but he wasn’t here and Zack had to start class. He resolved to check in with Angeal after class, maybe observe their one on one session. For now though, he turned to the group waiting for him. “Hiya guys. Let’s get started.”

**~~~~~~~~~~Reno~~~~~~~~~~**

        There weren’t any missions to be taken care of. Rude had been sent out with Knife on the only job today, so he was stuck in the office. While Turks all had a partner, that only meant they worked best together. They actually shuffled around based on mission parameters, and for today they hadn’t needed a loudmouth redhead. Reno was disappointed, because that meant he was stuck in the office.

        He would have been glad he wasn’t doing paperwork, but the task Tseng gave him wasn’t any better. He was watching Cloud on the cameras, just making sure the blond stayed on the designated cadet floors. Which apparently meant watching him get kicked and punched whenever the cadets had the time. He knew Cloud wasn’t allowed to fight back since it would blow his cover, but he felt a pang of sympathy for the fourteen year old. That could have been Reno himself in there, seeing as he was the right age to be a cadet at 16. Nobody else knew that though. They suspected he was younger, but for all intents and purposes the world thought he was 19 because that’s what his file said. Still, he’d only joined the Turks a year ago, maybe a little more, and as an unknown face he could just as easily been sent undercover as a cadet. Man that would have sucked. Anyway, Tseng had briefed him in the morning about Clouds punishment and gave him orders to keep track of the blond. There was always the chance that if Cloud got beat up enough the drug suppliers would approach and offer him a way out via enhancements. That was the hope since no one knew who Cloud really was, or that he was technically a Turk. 

        Sitting in the amazing chair they nagged from Cloud’s hangout in the Nibelheim mansion, he’d watched the day get progressively worse for the blond. The class rotation allowed most of the brutish cadets to have a turn knocking him around, to the point that before the last class Cloud had coughed up a bit of blood. He’d been tempted to dial Tseng, see if they could pull the blond’s punishment early, but Cloud had stared at the camera for a while before giving it a quick thumbs up. At least he knew someone was watching, that had to be a comfort.

        Now as the last class had ended, Cloud was back in the cadet lounge, once more surrounded by a group of cadets that seemed to grow every passing second. The cadets had a few hours free now, hours usually spent crashing on their bunks or fucking around to waste time. It seemed today they’d reached an agreement that a certain blond was going down. Reno sat back and pulled his PHS out, typing a quick message. He watched as Cloud dug his own PHS out of his pocket, ignoring the looks he got from the others, and read it. _Good luck yo._ Cloud held a middle finger up at the camera.  
        That proved to be a very bad idea. 

**~~~~~~~~~~Kunsel~~~~~~~~~~**

        Everyone had things to do today. Every SOLDIER had paperwork they should be filling out, or missions to prepare for, or post-mission debriefings. It was a fairly busy day, and yet he couldn’t stop thinking about the blond cadet.

        Kunsel had dropped by the cadet cafeteria today, around the time the blond usually had lunch break, and found a semicircle of other cadets throwing insults at him. They hadn’t noticed him come up behind them until the rest of the room quieted down. _Oh what the presence of a simple 2nd Class can do,_ he recalled thinking. Blondie, as he called the kid since the cadet name was clearly an alias, had actually offered a shy hello to him. It was the first time he’d said anything that wasn’t strictly necessary, and honestly surprised him. It meant he was wearing down the blond’s mental barriers ever so slowly. He hoped he could wear them down enough the kid would open up to him, maybe spill some Turk information. Not likely, but it was possible. If he could pry information out of Tseng he could get information out of anyone. Or so he thought, even if it took a while.

        That aside, as soon as the blond spoke the other cadets had turned to tell whoever it was behind them to fuck off. He’d pulled several detention slips out of a pocket and signed them, watching them sputter apologies in an attempt to save their own asses. It hadn’t worked, and they all walked off with heads bowed. Kunsel handed the slips to an instructor he passed in the hall later, to make sure they got filed. Before that he’d sat down across from the kid though, and watched him not eat the slush they called food down there. Taking pity and secretly wanting to test the kid’s reflexes, he’d pulled a fresh apple from his pocket and tossed it at the blond’s head. It was caught with ease.

        Currently though, Kunsel sat in his and Zack’s shared apartment with a finished stack of papers, and wondered what he’d interrupted in the cafeteria. A glance at the clock revealed classes had been out for twenty minutes, so he rose and left for the elevators, bumping into Angeal as he stepped on. They nodded in greeting and rode down in silence. Much to his surprise, the button for the top cadet floor was already lit.  
        “Looking for Zack?” Kunsel asked. Angeal frowned and shook his head.  
        “A cadet, actually. He failed to show up for our mentoring session.”  
        “Don’t suppose it would be the one Zack has been talking about so much?” The First nodded at him. “I was just going to look for him.” Angeal blinked.  
        “You know cadet Krut?”  
        “We eat lunch sometimes, on 22.”  
        “Does he talk to you?” Angeal looked genuinely curious. It was clear he wasn’t the only one wanting to know more.  
        “Said ‘hello’ today. Although it seemed more like a diversion. I appear to have interrupted something in the cafeteria. That’s actually why I’m looking for him now.”

        Angeal hummed in acknowledgement, sighing as the door opened and let another passenger on. “He takes exactly eight minutes after classes end, since it takes him about that long to rinse off and make it up the stairs.” The other passenger glanced Angeal’s direction, briefly nodding at him, and getting off six floors down from where he’d boarded the elevator.  
        “The stairs? What floor do you meet on?”  
        “50.” He gave Angeal a questioning look. “Elevators trigger his motion sickness.” Kunsel filed that information away for later. That wasn’t in the kid’s file. Not his _cadet_ file at least.

        The elevator finally dinged to signal they’d reached their destination and they both stepped off. The hall the elevator was in was filled with private study rooms, so they peeked through the windows on the doors to check for the blond. He wasn’t in any of them. Kunsel worried momentarily. “He’s never been late before?”  
        “Only had one session.” Kunsel paused at that.  
        “Commander, what I interrupted in the cafeteria today… I do not believe it was a friendly confrontation.” He picked up his pace. They could both pick up cheers and swears now, and made towards that portion of the lounge floor. A cadet standing at a corner saw them coming, eyes widening, and bolted off towards the noise. They heard him yelling to scatter, and for the first time in quite a while he heard the First at his side mutter a swear under his breath.

**~~~~~~~~~~Angeal~~~~~~~~~~**

        Zack had called him as soon as his class let out, asking if he could observe the mentor session today. He’d also mentioned that Krut hadn’t shown up, afraid he’d done something wrong during their trip to the slums to scare the kid off. A quick check of the attendance records for the day, and Angeal had been upset. Krut had missed every class today, no excuse. No one had reported seeing him anywhere either. So while it didn’t surprise him that the blond hadn’t shown up, he could shake the gut feeling that something was wrong. By all reports, even his own, the blond was a reasonable, responsible, punctual individual. If he missed classes, there had to be a reason.

        Bumping into Kunsel in the elevator, hearing the Second also interacted with the blond, had been interesting up to the point they hit the cadet floors and the guy had mentioned the unfriendly tension in the cafeteria earlier, all centered around the blond. It didn’t bode well, and he was already concerned about Krut’s situation being the smallest and physically standing out so much. And the social bluntness with his quiet personality. So when he heard the cadet, obviously a lookout, shouting to scatter, he flew around the corner in time to see a very large group of cadets fleeing. He wouldn’t be able to catch them all, but he could review the security footage later to get their names. Right now he was more concerned with the small form curled up in the corner. A figure with spikey blond hair.

        As Kunsel checked the surrounding area and spoke to a few cadets that had stayed seated at study desks, Angeal stepped closer to Krut and surveyed him. He had the uniform jacket on, so the only skin showing was his hands, neck, and face. Nothing _looked_ seriously injured, but there was blood on the jacket. He looked up and Angeal could see the stream of it coming from his nose, a darkening bruise on his forehead like they’d smashed his head down on something. What spooked him though, was the emptiness in the cadet’s eyes. Completely void of emotion, not form of expression on his face.  
        “Can you stand, Cadet?” Krut nodded once, but didn’t move. “Are you injured?” A shrug. One of the shoulders didn’t move right though. He knelt down to take a closer look. The blond’s breathing was a little shallower than last week. Focusing on his heartbeat, it didn’t seem much different than before. He wasn’t panicked, that was good.  
        “Alright. I want you stand now kid, I’ll help you if you need it but we need to head to the infirmary.” He could see a few muscles twitch in preparation before the blond pulled himself up using the nearest table. There was an ankle that looked a bit wobbly, an elbow he tried not to bend. Gods damnit, there was supposed to be a SOLDIER supervising each cadet floors according to policy to prevent this kind of thing. It clearly wasn’t being enforced.  
Kunsel came over now, a small notepad and pen in hand furiously scribbling something down. He thought to ask for a report of what happened but decided to wait until they got the kid out of hearing range. Enough damage here already, but at least nothing looked broken yet. 

        “Take your jacket off.” Kunsel ordered. It was a soft tone but an order nonetheless. The remaining cadets must have indicated an injury. Krut looked at the floor. “Hey, we need photographic evidence before we can do anything to them.” Krut didn’t appear to be listening. Angeal reached a hand out, only for the blond to press himself back against the wall to avoid it. A resigned sigh slipped out as he began, gently, to remove his jacket. Angeal immediately stepped back and pulled his PHS out. There were already bruises there, looked several hours old. More were forming by the minute, and he was sure the ones from this latest incident hadn’t even started to show yet. He dialed Zack. 

         _“Sup ‘Geal? Thought we were meeting Spikey on the 50th.”_  
        “Pup, I need you to excuse Cadet Krut’s absences today. Then we’ll meet you on 17.” He waited for confirmation.  
         _“The infirmary? Shit. No, don’t take him to 17 they’ll just slap band-aids all over him. Take him to 40. How bad is it?”_  
        “It isn’t good. Nothing looks broken but he probably has a few sprains. His arms look like they pinned him down-”  
         _“They? Who was it ‘Geal, the other cadets? This isn’t the first time.”_  
        “Don’t interrupt me Pup. Looks like they pinned him down. His stomach is probably black and blue, some of these bruises are old enough they could be from before classes this morning-” Krut was shaking his head, “Alright, maybe not but clear his absences anyway and meet us on 40 then. It might take a while since we’ve got to take the stairs.”  
        Zack hummed on the other end of the line. There were a few clicking sounds coming through the PHS before the Lieutenant confirmed the absences were excused and hung up. 

        Krut was eyeing a security camera, quickly mouthing something to it before noting the blood on his shirt. He couldn’t quite catch what the blond was trying to say but he did catch the word ‘delete.’ Like hell he’d let that footage get deleted. Kunsel seemed to have thought the same thing and sent him a glance before taking off. Angeal stepped closer to Krut again as he put his PHS away, wondering if the kid thought the Turks watched surveillance all day long. 

        Grabbing the blond’s bag from the bench at the table, he motioned towards the stairs and moved to his side in case he wanted more support. That ankle buckled again but Krut kept his stride fluidly enough he didn’t falter. It was the kind of motion that only came with practice, and experience, and he was really getting tired of thinking about that kind of thing.

        When they entered the stairs, and startled a trio of cadets smoking something which the First promptly confiscated, Krut drifted slowly towards the section heading down and stood at the top step. Angeal was about to say something, mention they were going up even though the kid had heard him say the 40th to Zack, when he heard quietly spoken sentence. 

        “Cadet floors only.” Was Krut honestly worried about his security clearance right now? He was injured and in the company of a SOLDIER First Class!  
        “I think the SOLDIER infirmary will be more equipped to handle this kiddo.” Krut shook his head and started down. _Oh well,_ he thought. If it came to it, all of the Firsts carried a mastered healing materia. He could use that if the infirmary didn’t know what to do. Angeal sent a quick message to Zack to let him know.

        Twice on the way down he reached to catch the cadet when his ankle buckled and his foot slipped, but both times the blond managed to catch himself and continue on. It was hard to watch, and he reminded himself this could have been the Pup if he hadn’t picked him as a student. Zack had been maybe an inch taller and already 16 when he made SOLDIER, and hadn’t put much muscle on yet. The mako had fixed all of that, and it helped that Zack had still been growing, but he was sure it would have caused similar problems. And spikey hair was always a trouble magnet.

        When they finally made it to the infirmary, the nurse that saw them took one look at Krut and plucked the wall phone out of its holder, dealing a few buttons and yelling at someone in the back behind a curtain before speaking into the phone. "Notify RH. Case came in, SFC Commander Hewley escort." Before long a doctor popped over and asked the nurse if she’d already made the call, and disappeared again. Zack showed up a few minutes later, but not ten minutes after that Kunsel came in, Tseng and another Turk following behind. And a lab tech. Angeal tensed.

        Kunsel made his way to the bed they’d sat Krut in as the Turks and lab tech spoke with the nurse. Moments later the SOLDIERs were all shuffled out of the infirmary, hearing the click and flash of a camera several times. There were murmurs and Krut’s voice offering a word here or there, mostly locations and times. Zack was bouncing his heels as he sat in a waiting area chair, and Kunsel had an actual frown visible. He didn’t frown often. In a moment it occurred to Angeal that Kunsel _knew_ something, something about what was going on and he hadn’t shared it. Perhaps they ought to include him in their meetings more often. He was close enough to First anyway.

        Two more lab techs passed them and entered the infirmary, and Angeal whipped out his PHS to contact the General. One lab tech was suspicious but three, three was clear involvement of the Science Department. And that either meant Hollander or _Hojo._ Unfortunately, just as Seph picked up a familiar redhead rounded the corner, tapping his EMR on a shoulder and swiping Angeal’s PHS with the other hand and hanging up. His gaze briefly flicked to Kunsel and back before he tossed the device back with a brief warning.  
        “We’ve got it Hewley. Let it go.”  
        And with that Reno signed something at the security camera in the corner of the waiting area, and sauntered into the infirmary. Zack sighed, and Angeal turned a dark look on Kunsel.

        “You. 69th tomorrow 10 pm. We need to talk.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **A/N:** Next chapter the Firsts and Kunsel are going to have a nice chat. It should clear up who knows how much.


	24. Meeting of the Firsts. And Kunsel.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two years. Cloud was furious. Two years he had been applying to join SHINRA’s army, every time a recruiter came to Nibelheim.  
>  Over the weekend the Turks experience a security breach, and a week later Turk headquarters are disrupted by the laughter of a noisy redhead, after having found a video posted by one of the most notorious hackers on the darknet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Disclaimer:** I own nothing but the plot, and my writing style.

         The following morning Cloud woke an hour and a half later than he’d expected. His shoulder still ached from the dislocation Sunday, as did the ankle sprain from yesterday. Despite a cadet repeatedly stomping on his foot, there hadn’t been any lasting damage other than bruises to the metatarsals and surrounding area. The rest of his bruises were in full bloom in a dark purple colour, though the edges were already fading to yellow. They’d be gone in two days, he knew.

         After being shuffled off to the infirmary Tseng had shown up with Legend, Reno following shortly after, and they’d slipped him off down to see Uncle Rin. Man hadn’t been happy with him when he found out about dislocating the shoulder on purpose, muttering something about wearing cartilage down. He knew it wasn’t the brightest idea, but by now he’d done it enough times it didn’t bother him much aside from the initial pain. He said as much, mentioned the training with ‘Chaos’. The other Turks were still around so he couldn’t risk saying Viva or Vin. His godfather hadn’t done much other than assess the damage, rewrap the shoulder and put his ankle in a brace before sending him off. He’d been taken back to the apartment instead of the offices since the Turks didn’t need him for anything urgent. 

         Packing his bag for the day and nodding at Tseng as he headed out the door, he wondered how hard it was going to be to avoid the Lieutenant, and what else the day might bring as a result of yesterday's incident with Hewley showing up. Kunsel too, guy was smart.

         First class went by, and he caught several dismissive glances from the other cadets. Having a First Class catch them in the act must have been a deterrent, but they’d probably come after him as soon as they thought the coast was clear. A few of the smaller cadets looked sheepish and guilty at having participated, but he didn’t blame them. They would probably drop out of the program under this kind of pressure whereas he could handle it. He didn’t _like_ being beaten up, and he was very tired of having blue and purple skin, but he was far more capable of bearing the brunt of the bullying in his unit. 

         When class let out and passing time began, he was suddenly face to face with a cadet he didn’t recognise. Probably one of the ones from a different class rotation. Cloud thought at first perhaps this cadet hadn’t heard about Hewley showing up and was here to have a go at the tiny blond kid, but he only jerked his head and turned off into a smaller hallway. He followed.  
         “Heard you got pretty banged up yesterday.” The cadet, Borchers by the nameplate, said. Cloud nodded. “Also heard it’s not the first time.”   
         “Your point?”  
         “Aren’t you tired of it?” Borchers glanced down the hallway. It occurred to Cloud this was probably the drug proposition the Turks had been waiting for. He lifted an eyebrow.   
        “Look,” Borchers checked the hall again, “I don’t really know you, but I might know somebody who can help you out. Under this much pressure you just want to be stronger, maybe get bigger yeah? You’re already on Fair’s radar but you can’t impress him when everybody overshadows you.” He pulled a plastic bag out of his pocket. A bag full of pills.

        “Not interested.” he said, brushing past Borchers and melting back into the crowd of cadets running to and fro, disregarding the indignant grunt behind him. He had what he needed. He would wait to report until he got back to the offices, after classes, to explain what happened. He didn’t need the pills to confirm it was what the Turks were looking for, he’d seen them before. Routine bunk searches were common in the cadet dorms and several of those pills had been confiscated as evidence, pending penalties. Tseng had shown them to him for reference. 

        The issue was that the pills were found in small numbers, under bunks of people who used them who were consequently kicked out and sent home. Nobody actually knew who was spreading them because it traveled by word of mouth. If somebody was looking, they left a note in some slum location. A few days later the pills would appear in their pillowcase. That’s all the interrogations had revealed. And the cadets using the drugs had always gone looking for them. They’d never been approached, and that was what impeded the investigation.

         But Cloud had played the helpless victim. He _had_ been approached. It was a cautious two months in while they presumably waited to make sure it was safe to approach him, but they had. And now he had a name to give Tseng.

[To: Turk Commander]  
 _Pills. Cadet Borchers dealing. Knows supplier._

Waiting for the message to finish sending, he deleted it once it had and slipped the PHS back into his pocket, heading for the next class.

~~~~~~~~~~Cloud~~~~~~~~~~

         As expected, Fair eventually showed up, midway through the second class of the day, chatting briefly with the instructor before beckoning him to step out of the lecture room. He shook his head. He could already tell the cheery attitude the First was presenting was false, could feel the other cadets watching to see what he’d do. When the Lieutenant went to open his mouth to say something from across the room Cloud immediately stood up, looking at the instructor and gesturing at his bag. He didn’t really want Fair calling him _Spiky_ in front of the other cadets. The instructor looked at the First and asked whether or not Krut would be returning before giving him a nod. He picked his bag up with a quiet sigh and made his way to the door. The First was talking to him as they walked but he tuned it out. It wasn’t until they took the stairs to the 48th floor that he started to listen. SOLDIER 2nd apartments were on this floor. Fair shared an apartment with a 2nd.

         “So, now that we’re out of public space,” Fair’s chipper expression dropped, “I want you to level with me. I know you don’t talk much but I can’t drop what happened yesterday. I want to know what’s going on.” The Lieutenant slid his keycard into the reader and swung the door open. Cloud pulled his PHS out to notify Tseng of his whereabouts, but Fair snapped it up. Bloody SOLDIER speed. No amount of physical training could keep up with mako enhancements.

~~~~~~~~~~Zack~~~~~~~~~~

        Flipping through screens on the blond’s PHS now, checking the contacts and recent messages, Zack found it was blank. Completely blank, not a single contact. The calendar didn’t even have a class schedule in it. _Damn._

        Whoever Spikey was always texting, he must have memorised the number. He stuffed the PHS into a pocket for safekeeping. Maybe he’d get lucky and they’d call or send a message while he had it. Zack closed the door.

        He didn’t like having to be serious, usually ruined his mood for the rest of the day, but he hadn’t been able to figure out what was wrong. Two months late to the program, two months here and Spiky had no obvious friends amongst the cadets. He hadn’t warmed up to a friendly First Class, and if yesterday was an indicator he was getting beat up on a regular basis. The Turks were keeping an eye on him, ordering him custom weapons from one of the best weapons makers, and this was twice now SOLDIERs hadn’t been allowed in the infirmary with him when he was treated. It was adding up to be a ridiculously complicated puzzle. Grabbing a soda from the fridge, and one for Spiky, he headed for the couch. Krut was still standing, leaning against the far wall with his arms crossed and that same old blank expression.

        “Why don’t you come sit down, have a soda.” Kid looked at the soda, shook his head. “Alright, no soda then. But don’t think you’re getting out of this.” he warned. Still no movement towards the couch. “Fine, stay there. I don’t care.” he took a breath, mentally diving into the hoard of questions presenting themselves. “What did you do?”  
        Krut angled his head to the side. 

        “The Turks don’t pick just anyone. They’re watching you. You said they’re recruiting you. And getting weapons from Febro and Octina, you have to have done _something_ to get their notice. They’re not good people, not the kind you want to be around.” No response, other than the blond shifting his head back into an upright position. A faint vibration emanated from his pocket, from Krut’s PHS, and he pulled it out to look at the call screen. No name, no visible number. Flipping it open he did his best impression of Krut’s voice saying hello. There was silence on the other end. Maybe his voice impersonation wasn’t good enough. He wasn’t paying much attention to the blond though, not enough to notice him getting closer and grabbing the PHS. Zack didn’t want to try and get it back and injure the guy, but he did focus his hearing. Anything coming from the caller and he would hear it.

        “48th." He frowned. It was likely someone would come to get the blond but at least he’d get to see who it was. Krut snapped the PHS shut and slipped it into his pocket.  
        “Who was that?” He asked, not sure what the proper approach would be. Honestly he hadn’t managed to get much out of the younger teen, blunt questions or not.  
        “No one.” The blond finally responded. And through the door came Genesis.

~~~~~~~~~~Cloud~~~~~~~~~~

         It hadn’t taken long to frustrate Fair. It was easy enough if he just didn’t talk, which was normal. He could see the tension in the older teen’s shoulders. So when the PHS rang and gave him the opportunity to take it back he did so. Not three minutes later Genesis swept through the door to whisk him away.

         “If you’re not going to attend class, the least you could do is notify me. Let’s get this training business out of the way early so I can get to the theater!” The auburn swung in dramatically, shooting him a frigid look. Before the Lieutenant could interject he continued, raising a hand to stop any response. “Not now Puppy, I’m busy. Krut, why are you still standing their? Get moving or I’ll fry you to a crisp.”

         “Yes sir.” Cloud nodded once, picking his bag up from the floor next to him and making his way to the door.   
“And you!” he pointed at Zack, still sitting wide eyed on the couch with a soda halfway to his mouth. “Do you know how much paperwork is on your desk? Just because your office got pranked does _not_ mean you can forget about it. Furthermore, today is _my_ day with the cadet and you have no business dragging him out of class unless you’re bringing him to _me_. So Back. Off.” The youngest First was wincing at the tone, and Cloud caught the flash expression he wore while looking over Genesis’ shoulder. It was sympathetic, filled with worry. But it disappeared quickly and morphed into one that clearly said _this is not over,_ having remembered why the blond was in his apartment in the first place.

         As they left Fair behind Genesis continued the charade, complaining about the unfairness of having to waste his time with a cadet, even if this one _did_ show just _little_ bit of promise.  
         “I have a ticket to the new rendition of Loveless today, and if I’m late so help me, you’ll be begging for a Turk to put you out of your misery tomorrow…” they wandered off down the hall.

~~~~~~~~~~Genesis~~~~~~~~~~

        When they were five floors down the stairs he cut the tirade and opened the doors to Weapons Testing. Cloud’s magical prowess had proven to be quite problematic and he wanted a larger space to work until the blond got it under control. Scarlet had agreed to let him use the space when he needed it, and locked it down so no one else was on the floor. All she asked for in return was that he level spare materia up for her to stick in her latest contraptions. Not hard to do. Finally rounding a corner into the space he wanted to use, he fried the cameras with a quick spell and closed the door behind Cloud.

        “I actually have _two_ tickets to Loveless, if you’d like to go. Tseng mentioned you need to get out more based on Sunday’s event. I’m honestly surprised he’s allowing it.” Hearing the blond’s snort he turned around from the door and cocked an eyebrow.

        “Me too.” The only time they had gone out together, they’d been unsupervised, hadn’t had permission, bumped into Red Leather members, and hidden on a roof sending vague responses to the man’s inquiries. Tossing a fire materia to him, he stripped his jacket off and set his sword and sheath against the wall. 

        “As much as I’d love to start our evening early, we _do_ need to get your materia abilities under control. And I’m meeting with the others tonight to talk about the situation with _Cadet Krut._ I want to go over a few things with you so I don’t slip up when they’re asking questions.

~~~~~~~~~~Tseng~~~~~~~~~~

        He was delivering a peace offering from Hojo to Rufus when the message came in, let it sit unread until the Vice President turned his attention elsewhere. When he finally found the opportunity, he felt a mild sense of satisfaction.

[From: Technical Turk]  
 _Pills. Cadet Borchers dealing. Knows supplier._

         Lazard had approached him around the time he picked Reno up out of the slums roughly a year ago, about a drug problem in the SOLDIER Cadet Program.  
        He’d taken it to the General and Commanders first, of course, but they hadn’t been interested. Sephiroth had said as long as the drugs weren’t mako laced he could care less what the cadets took. They would stop taking it when they made SOLDIER, or they’d become addicted and get kicked out. Genesis had followed that logic, casually wondering if the drugs would react when he threw fireballs at the cadets and make them mutate. The SOLDIER Director firmly admonished the auburn for that comment, but let it slide. It wasn’t really their problem since they didn’t run the program, so they had no obligation to help. Angeal had refused to help as soon as he mentioned he suspected it was a SOLDIER third or second, stating he refused to believe one of their own would bend so low as to sell drugs to kids.

        Thus Lazard had resorted to asking the Turks for assistance in solving this problem. They weren’t exactly friends, but as coworkers they managed to get along when necessary.

        “Excuse me sir, a matter has come up that I must attend to.” He parted ways with Rufus. The teen looked mildly disinterested before returning to studying the thing Hojo sent Tseng with. Neither of them were sure what it was, but the collar read Dark Nation and it seemed friendly enough. The Scientist said it was young and would probably grow to be 3 or 4 times its current size. Tseng closed the door behind him to ensure it wouldn’t escape until the younger Shinra figured out what to do with it. He had a cadet to terrify.

~~~~~~~~~~Tseng~~~~~~~~~~

        As soon as he entered the class Borchers was in, it went silent. There had been laughter, a few questions for the instructor, but now it was quiet. They were all eyeing his suit. Not bothering with the instructor, he walked through the rows of desks feeling all the eyes in the room focused in his direction. There were several audible shudders. One or two whispers and whimpers. They must have already had the lecture on staying away from the Turks, heard the stories drifting about the building.

        He stopped in front of a brown eyed, dark haired cadet, obviously native to Midgar. Perhaps that was how he met the supplier. “Cadet Caleb Borchers. Follow me.”

~~~~~~~~~~Tseng~~~~~~~~~~

        It didn’t take long at all for the kid to crack. A few questions in and he started pleading for his life. Hilarious.

        They weren’t about to kill him, just boot him out of the program. The SOLDIER Third he gave up though, not so lucky. Lazard had asked the man to escort him to a meeting with the Turks in order to get him there. Rude was with him now, just staring at him from behind the shades. For some reason that particular method was very effective. The Director had opted to stay, hear the man out in case there was a valid reason behind dealing drugs to the cadets. There wasn’t. Before he left though, he asked that their undercover agent be removed from the cadet program. He agreed to allow Cloud to continue training with the Firsts though, since he still needed weapons and materia training. And dropping the sessions with Angeal would seem suspicious. That was fine, they could use tonight’s impending drug bust as a cover. The other cadets would mostly assume Cadet Krut had been using drugs and, naturally, got kicked out. _Imagine their faces if they find out he’s a Turk._ He chuckled.

        Tonight, they’d search the dorms for remaining drugs and pick up Borcher’s stash where he told them it’d be. Tomorrow they’d go after the manufacturer below plate and destroy the whole trade.

~~~~~~~~~~Genesis~~~~~~~~~~

        After training for a few hours, showering, and meeting up in the lobby, Genesis and Cloud had taken off for the theater. He honestly wished they hadn’t.  
        The actors didn’t fit their roles at all, their voices didn’t match the tone or atmosphere, the costuming was atrocious, and the stage props were poorly made. He was used to _much_ higher quality from this theatre, and dragged Cloud behind him to say as much to the manager. When he was done, the man wouldn’t even look at his _boots_. It was normal for people to be unable to look at his face, but not even his boots? The man was appropriately ashamed of the performance they put on this night, and gave him a full refund for both tickets. He split it with Cloud since neither of them needed the cash.

         On the way back to headquarters they’d passed a motorcycle repair shop, only for the blond’s excitement to show through and order him to turn around. As much as he was a software expert, Cloud was very much mechanically inclined. The teen spent over an hour listening to the shop owner hush about his machines, equally as excited to have someone who knew the mechanics to talk to as Cloud was. Towards the last half hour they’d moved into the back and the blond helped him work as he talked. Genesis felt completely ignored.

         Departing from the mechanic, there were grease stains and a gas smell emanating from him, but Genesis found it somehow fitting. For anything that made Cloud smile like that, he could ignore a little dirt and grime. He could even ignore a _lot_ of dirt and grime, he found, as they stopped at a different mechanic shop seven or eight streets down. By the time they got back to SHINRA, the blond was absolutely _filthy._ He hoped Tseng had enough soap.

         Having dropped Cloud off in the Wutaian’s apartment, he made for Sephiroth’s apartment to read and wait for the others.

~~~~~~~~~~Angeal~~~~~~~~~~

         “Then why don’t we start at the beginning, with whoever met him first?” he suggested. They’d been a it less than five minutes before everyone was talking over each other and no one was listening. Only Kunsel seemed to hear him and quiet down a bit, though Sephiroth soon followed suit. Zack and Gen were still at it for a bit but they were both talking and it was hard to keep track of. Eventually he put a hand on Gen’s shoulder and the room went quiet. He repeated his earlier suggestion and was met with agreement.

         Sephiroth left to grab a notepad, and Zack got up to grab a few of the silver First’s butterscotch beers for the group. When they all returned, Sephiroth spoke up first, and told them what he knew about Cadet Krut.

~~~~~~~~~~Seph~~~~~~~~~~

         “Before I start, let’s briefly cover what’s in his file and try to avoid repeating the same information over and over. Only mention what you know that _hasn’t_ already been said. Pete Krut, born and raised in Nibelheim by a single mother. No father figure referenced. Enrolled early into the SOLDIER Cadet Program at 14 which was allowed because the scientific community has an interest in his hometown. Low physical stats but appropriate for his size. Several instructor comments, mostly noting strong independant tendencies and keen observation skills. Watches everything around him with suspicion. Currently being mentored by three Firsts, the names of which you know. 

        That being said, I may have met the boy first but it was only a matter of seconds down in the labs. Returning from Wutai and meeting the Professor for post-mission labs I found a previously unknown individual engaging in friendly conversation and…” he paused, still unnerved by the idea, “ _hugging_ Hojo. Upon noticing my arrival the Professor’s behaviour became slightly irregular and he shuffled the boy out. He was defensive, I’d even go so far as to say protective, of the boy. 

        Since that time the Professor has ceased requesting my presence unless it is a post mission checkup, which brings up concerns over his involvement with Cadet Krut. I’ve been trying to keep an eye on Hojo but he’s only been delivering regular SOLDIER injections and studying samples in the labs. That is the extent of my personal knowledge, not based on what you’ve reported to me lately. Any questions?” 

        No one looked as though they had one. Kunsel was evidently surprised by the information but did not inquire further. Sephiroth now turned his attention to the youngest First, knowing he was the next contact point.

~~~~~~~~~~Zack~~~~~~~~~~

        “So, first time I met Spikey he showed up two months late to the program in my Weapons Training class. He’s quiet, doesn’t talk much to anyone and doesn’t really have any friends. He hasn’t even warmed up to _me_ and we’re two months in. Class scores are average. Weapons training was a major weak point but those scores have risen. He’s being bullied by his peers but I don’t know how badly since both times I’ve been with him in the infirmary the Turks show up. First time it was just Reno, who gave me a warning and whisked him away, and second time was yesterday when ‘Geal called me. That Time Tseng popped in and they all disappeared.

        I know he has other duties outside of cadet training because he has an early release from my class. He doesn’t talk about it and I haven’t managed to track him down after program hours. He just disappears. Initially I offered to mentor him on my own and he refused. That’s when he said he was a Turk recruit. I don’t know if that means he’s in their own weird ass recruitment program or if he _wants_ to be a Turk of he just knows they’re watching him. Whatever. When I came back with the group offer he checked in with someone on his PHS, waited maybe an hour or more for a response before accepting the offer. I got ahold of his PHS today briefly, but it was blank. No contacts, no recent messages or calls, no calendar. It was clean.

        When we went below plate this Saturday and wandered around Wall Market, I pulled him into Febro’s shop to escape the crowd for a while.” He grabbed at his elbows. Mentioning the static probably wouldn’t help them learn anything, so he left that out. He did manage to catch Genesis hiding a snicker though, and wondered what that was about. 

        “Odd thing was, they were actively waiting for him to come in. Flipped the sign to close as soon as Febro saw us. Man took us straight back to Octina, and I mean _straight_ back. Into her workspace. I could go into detail on the argument the shop owners had but the end result is that he goes back in two months to pick up custom weapons. I talked to Febro about appropriate blade types and fighting styles, but Spikey had a quiet conversation with Octina at the same time. Most of it was about firearms but there were a few words I picked up when they thought I wasn’t listening. I wrote them down somewhere…” Zack shuffled through files and paper on the coffee table for a moment until he found the napkin. He’d memorised it until he got to the bar where the pair of Second Class were and found a writing utensil. “ _Cerberus_ , not sure what it means but Octina reacted, and they were talking about someone called V. Couldn’t hear much more, they both naturally talk in whispers. Lastly, it wasn’t confirmed but I’m 99 percent sure the Turks are paying for his weapons. 

        As far as training him goes, I’ve only had him for two days but I’ve got a pretty good idea of what he needs to work on for fighting with blades. I don’t know how much I’ll be able to help him since he wants to dual wield,” he watched as Kunsel perked up, “Yeah, I was gonna ask you if you had some free time to help me out this week.  
        Anyway, before we left, Febro lead us into another room I didn’t know they had, and it was literally floor to ceiling guns. The kid. Went. Nuts. I hadn’t seen him wear an actual smile for two months and suddenly he just lights up and starts darting around. I’m not really into guns but he _definitely_ knew his stuff. Even disassembled and reassembled a few before finally picking one to test out and take home. And get this, kid’s a crack shot.” 

        Zack pulled his PHS out. He’d forgotten to show this to Angeal when he got back that night but now seemed as good a time as any. Pulling up the photo he’d managed to take without Febro noticing, he set the device down on the table so the others could see the paper target Krut had shredded. 

         “Did this in seconds, barely blinked an eye. So anyway, that’s about all I’ve got on him. He is _definitely_ keeping a secret up his sleeve, or maybe closer to fifty, and the Turks are keeping a really close eye on him. Reno hasn’t even slipped around to let me in on whatever’s going on like he normally does either.” He finished, picking his PHS back up. Sephiroth nodded and looked around for questions again. This time Kunsel _did_ speak up, if only to ask for better detail.  
        “Any weapon in specific the kid is having made?”  
        “Eheh, remember I said _weapons_. With an S at the end. And yeah, they came up with the basics. Something about a materia spell powered triple barrel gun, twin wakizashi, a tanto, and a pair of fancy boot daggers. I couldn’t pronounce the material even if you drugged me with truth serum. That, on top of the loaded one they let him walk out with. I got the feeling they were expecting him back for more once those were all finished.”

        Angeal let out a low whistle. “That’s a lot more than a SOLDIER usually has. Let alone a cadet. And he shouldn’t be carrying that gun around, do you know where he keeps it?”  
        “Uh, right. No, I don’t know where he stores it but he doesn’t carry it with him. That’s the other thing. I know Geal and I have talked about this but I don’t know if the rest of you know. I tried to find Spikey’s listed supervising officer, or what dorm he’s in, and it comes up blank. Nobody knows where he sleeps or keeps his stuff. Like I said, he just… Poof in a cloud of smoke as soon as he’s done for the day.”

~~~~~~~~~~Genesis~~~~~~~~~~

        He almost let out a laugh at Zack’s last comment. _More like poof in the smoke of Cloud._ But the blond did have a certain way of simply appearing or fading into the shadows whenever he wanted.

        Genesis listened quietly as Fair went on speculating about what Krut’s, _Cloud’s,_ personality might be like underneath all the silent gloomy exterior. If he knew Cloud at all, he would never use the term _gloomy_. The blond just didn’t express things the way other people do. The way Zack is used to. Cloud had told him he didn’t have a lot of worldly interaction when he was younger so he simply didn’t develop the necessary facial muscles to the same extent. Sephiroth was still in a similar situation but improving. More often than not the General kept his face plank on purpose now.

        Refocusing on the conversation now, Angeal had finally realised his Pup was grasping at strings and moved on to Kunsel’s interactions with Cadet Krut.

        “Met him in the Cadet Cafeteria, maybe two weeks after he arrived. I was actually down there listening to the rumours about you four and saw him sitting alone in a corner. He’s got this aura that seemed to keep the others away from him. Didn’t say a word for the longest time. Kept up the usual _sir_ and yes or no responses for a while after that. I have a feeling he only said hello yesterday to distract the cadets around him. 

        I know it’s already been said, but he’s quite small. That’s one thing the Turks tend to look for when they recruit. And about that, the timing seemed odd to me. He showed up a week after that video was released. The week before that the Turk archives were hacked but as usual I got kicked out of their files before finding anything important. Took a look at some of their mission files though-” Angeal was frowning when Kunsel mentioned this, “And Shinra sent them to Nibelheim around that time. The hacker went quiet around the same time but the Turks could have accomplished their mission and picked Blondie up on the way back. So I asked Tseng about it.”

        Genesis suddenly found himself trying not to tense up. Dammit Kunsel. Of course he would start poking around. He knew Tseng wouldn’t have given anything away _directly,_ but Sephiroth would probably figure it out. 

        “He wouldn’t confirm or deny anything, which is usual, but he was _defensive_. Normally you can’t tell if Tseng’s reacting but occasionally his eyes get a very, and I mean _very_ , slight glow to them when he’s feeling protective. Someone unenhanced wouldn’t be able to see it, it’s almost microscopic but it was there. I also assumed the name _Krut_ is an alias and said as much. Tseng gave me the usual spiel about the company’s best interests and pretty much confirmed it-”  
        “What makes you think Pete Krut is an alias?” Genesis interjected. Kunsel was much closer than he’d thought.  
        “Not so much the first name, but the last name is Turk spelled backwards.” The Second shot at him before continuing. “He also carries himself in a certain way that tells me he’s had at least _some_ prior training of some sort but if he _has_ been trained he’s doing a _damn_ good job of hiding it. The Turks are definitely recruiting him but I doubt it’s final yet. There are rumours the General and Commanders passed on a drug bust opportunity in the SOLDIER Cadet Program so it got passed off to the Turks.” Kunsel nodded at Sephiroth, then he and Angeal, “So my theory is that Blondie is young and fits a hopeful cadet profile, and they likely have him undercover looking for something. Cadets don’t have access to any important information so if that isn’t the case I can only think that no one was available to train him properly so they stuck him in classes.”

         _Damn him and his analytical skills,_ Genesis thought. He hoped Tseng had a plan for this, although Kunsel had pretty much just talked himself out of the idea that Cloud was the hacker. The Second still harbored suspicions though. That was dangerous with Kunsel. Sephiroth was also bristling, but calmed a little the more he seemed to think it over. Kunsel _had_ brought up the age factor. Very few people could develop the technological and coding skills to do what had been done, and Krut, _Cloud,_ was only fourteen. Sighing, and feigning frustration, Genesis turned to Angeal and gestured for the man to start. Having the Monday session with Cloud, Angeal would have met Cloud next if Genesis wasn’t already acquainted with the blond. “Angeal dear, if you would?”

~~~~~~~~~~Angeal~~~~~~~~~~

         Nodding to Genesis, he shook his suspicions away. He’d known Gen long enough to notice that he started tensing when the Turks were mentioned, and it reminded him of the auburn’s recent disappearances. But he trusted Gen enough to tell him if it was anything serious. They’d never kept secrets that could hurt each other.

         “No one has any questions for Kunsel?” There was a collective hum of agreement. It was probably better just to get all the information out in the open before they started picking it apart anyway. “Alright, I only met Krut last week at our first session together. We met in the lounge on the 50th floor, he was a few minutes late because he takes the stairs. The elevators apparently trigger his motion sickness.” Zack was nodding. 

         “He popped up behind me, probably close enough I should have noticed earlier. I don’t know if it’s the possible training he’s had or just natural stealth. Spent most of the time that day just trying to get him relaxed, but he kept to the bare minimum of word usage, very concise. He’s closed himself off from social interactions and if I had to guess I’d say he was bullied in Nibelheim too. He’s resigned himself to the idea that his situation won’t change any time soon, that there’s no one he can trust. That’s just a guess though, he’s damn hard to get a read on.”

         Angeal let the implications of that float around. Everyone here knew how difficult it was to pick up on Sephiroth’s emotions when the man didn’t want to share them, and Angeal was best at understanding the little signs, like eye twitches or the look in his eyes. For a fourteen year old kid to challenge his skills, concerning was an understatement.

         “Yesterday was supposed to be out second session,” he picked up again, “and he was late even accounting for the time it takes to go up the stairs. I’ve talked with a few instructors and the kid is nothing if not punctual. In fact, he’s usually as early as he can be. He shows up to his first lecture class at least half an hour early each day, so I bumped into Kunsel on my way down to look for him. I knew something had to have happened, and I trust he would have sent me a message or call me since I gave him my PHS number. We found him bruised and battered pretty badly and took him up to 40 to get checked out- which reminds me Seph we need to take a look at the Cadet Infirmary, Pup says it isn’t up to standards- anyway, the nurse took one look and made a phone call. She said notify RH. References a case of some kind, mentioned that I’d escorted the kid. As Zack said the Turks swooped in and kicked us out. They must have taken him out a different door because we sat there for a while waiting until another nurse told us he’d already left.

         As far as actual information goes, that’s all I’ve got and most of it is just character. I have a feeling it’s probably the same for Gen.” He looked at the auburn. Genesis shrugged. They waited a few minutes in silence as Sephiroth scribbled something down on the notepad, and Kunsel took the opportunity to grab another butterscotch beer from the fridge. They weren’t alcoholic so he wasn’t concerned the two 17 year olds were going through several bottles each, but Sephiroth shot a glare over his paper pad and snappishly told them not to drink them all. 

        When they were younger, when he and Genesis still Seconds, they’d each had one in this apartment and the General, already a First by then, had told them it was a taste he picked up from somewhere he couldn’t remember, but couldn’t stop drinking. Somewhere along the line the Silver Elite found out and began sending him a box every month with different brands from all over the place, and he wanted to try them all. He even kept one of each bottle on a shelf in his pantry. Angeal had only wondered how the man’s fanclub had found out he liked them, and Genesis had simply been annoyed he didn’t _have_ a fanclub. That changed pretty quickly once they made First Class though.

        Said auburn was watching Sephiroth now, waiting for him to finish writing down whatever information he had gleaned from Angeal’s own report, straightening his shirt out when the General finally set the pen down and diving in. It lacked some of the usual flair Gen typically added to his stories, but it was clear enough.  
        “Last Tuesday I tossed him a materia and walked him through the process. He seemed a little familiar with the idea but clearly didn’t have much experience. I must say, Krut’s magical reserves are actually quite impressive but he has no control over them. Roasted the practice room we were using, managed to catch one of the dummies on fire.”  
        “Most Thirds have trouble with that.” Kunsel pointed out. Angeal had been about to say much the same thing.  
        “Yes, but most Thirds have the training to control it more. If Krut could control the spell more and focus it, there wouldn’t be a dummy left. Anyway, I’ve got him running low level spells all the time to build up control and maintain a constant output level. 

        Since the Puppy decided to pull him out of classes early today I rescued him and we finished training early. Actually, I took him to see the latest rendition of Loveless-” the room let out a collective groan, “How dare you ingrates- nevermind. Anyway, he enjoyed the general plot but the play was _terrible_. He also took an interest in a motorcycle mechanic shop we bumped into on the way back. Spent a good while talking to the owner which really lit him up. Makes sense when you think about Zack’s experience in the weapons shop. He’s a natural. Mechanically inclined.

        We communicate just fine without talking so I won’t wear you down with details of _how quiet_ he is or any such nonsense. While he certainly is an enigma, he is an absolute _delight_ and I refuse to let the Turks have him. His materia skills will be _wasted_ there.”

         _Well that was a mouthful,_ Angeal thought. Gen had already mentioned the kid’s abilities being impressive, but he hadn’t outrighted praised him before. Gen didn’t casually praise _anyone._ He wondered if the auburn had given the blond a book copy of Loveless yet. Sounded like they got along well enough. 

~~~~~~~~~~Seph~~~~~~~~~~

         Hearing all the information they had added up, it was clear Tseng had a hand in all of this. While he desperately wanted Krut, or whatever his real name was, to be the hacker, he knew it was only because he wanted someone to blame for the security breach other than his older brother. Tseng wasn’t actually his brother, not by blood, but he was the closest thing to family there had been around when growing up in SHINRA. They didn’t spend much time together anymore, but they knew each other well and had each other’s backs when it came to the company trying to do something to one of them. And of course the friendly competition over recruitment and a few other things. It was a good natured relationship

         Reading over the compiled information on his pad, he set to scratching out repeats and adding the surprising bits Gen had shared. While they didn’t have _much_ , after hearing the same things about the cadet over and over again for two months, this felt like a lot of information. Just to make sure everyone was on the same page, he listed what they knew and finished with single sentence.

         “So we have an introverted cadet with possible unregistered training that showed up a suspicious two months late, coinciding with the disappearance of a known hacker, who the Turks are using as an undercover agent while recruiting him.”

         Everyone nodded. Zack yawned and offered “Glad to have that over. So what’s the plan?” Indeed, that was the remaining question. After a short debate they agreed to keep an eye out when they weren’t busy, try to pry information out of the blond during their mentoring sessions, and someone had to chat with the Turks, and possibly Lazard if they were going to fight to keep the recruit. Everyone would keep an eye out for lurking scientists, and Sephiroth himself would be monitoring the cadet next week. He’d asked the Director for some time off of travel missions some time ago and decided to cash it in. He would still be doing paperwork of course, and the occasional monster hunt in the slums for the press to fawn over, but he wouldn’t have to leave Midgar. There would be plenty of time to learn more about the blond. For now though, it had been a long day. He shuffled them all out the door, tidied up the papers strewn about the coffee table, and got ready for bed.

         The last thing Sephiroth did before crashing that night was pull his laptop up and dig around for information on the hacker Kunsel mentioned. The Second hadn’t given a name but he found it quickly enough. There were blog posts and articles _everywhere_ on the net about the sudden silence of someone by the alias St0rmCl0ud. A few links later and he found, much to his surprise, an official fanclub site.

         Curiosity piqued, he made an account. Apparently a large portion of the site was member only viewing, including a chat room he spent a few minutes in. It was mostly quiet, just an occasional user logging in to ask if anyone else was online. There were old notices of St0rmCl0ud’s past ventures, a built in calendar to mark the anniversaries of those events, an option to send a gift to a warehouse _just in case_ they ever got an address. It seemed overkill, but honestly it resembled the Silver Elite forums more than he wanted to admit. Finding his new StormClub email, there was an impersonal welcome message waiting for him, borders blinking red.

[To: SilverStorm -- From:defaultnotice-do-not-respond]   
_Welcome to the storm, SilverStorm. The group is glad to have you join. If you have any questions direct them to -GeneralNoticeBoard- or any senior member._

        That was the whole email. Sephiroth snorted and shut his laptop off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **A/N:** Long chapter so I’m counting this as 2 yo. Still two more to catch up.


	25. Undercover Operative

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two years. Cloud was furious. Two years he had been applying to join SHINRA’s army, every time a recruiter came to Nibelheim.  
> Over the weekend the Turks experience a security breach, and a week later Turk headquarters are disrupted by the laughter of a noisy redhead, after having found a video posted by one of the most notorious hackers on the darknet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **A/N:** I’m late I’m late, I know yo. But shit happens, life moves on, and I’m posting another chapter after this. 
> 
> **Disclaimer:** I own nothing but the plot, and my writing style.

         That same night at some ungodly hour, many floors down on the 34th, Reno sat with Cloud in an almost empty, cement room. The table was cold metal, and one wall featured what they both knew to be a one way mirror. The 34th floor was primarily reserved for interrogations, soundproof walls and no security cameras or audio. If you used a room, you brought your own recording device. He stared hard at the blond.  
         “No luck, go fish.”  
         “Don’t believe you.” Cloud’s face was impassive. Apparently it didn’t much effort for him to hide the normal tiny smirks and snorts.  
         “What makes ya think I’m lyin’?” Cloud just stared at him. Reno shivered and handed the card over. That stare was still creepy as ever. “I gotta get Tseng to teach you poker yo. You two could clean house in the Costa casinos, course Tseng would have to go out of uniform or they wouldn’t let ‘im play.” A subtle shift in angle of Cloud’s head reminded him the blond’s own uniforms were due in next week. 

        He couldn’t wait to see what Rufus would put the kid in. All their suits were tailor made to their measurements but Rufus had the final say and preferred each to be a little different. Most people wouldn’t notice but all of their suits were slightly different shades of navy. Tseng’s was so dark it was almost black, Reno’s own were dull and more grayish, Cissnei’s actually had threads of burgundy woven in but you couldn’t tell unless you were staring at it from two inches away. Legend and Elena had pretty similar ones but he couldn’t figure out what it was, and Rude’s… Reno wasn’t sure. Sometimes he swore it was dark purple instead of navy, when the light hit it right. So Reno couldn’t help but wonder what the VP had in mind. Cloud was a part-time, or honorary Turk. He didn’t _have_ to wear the customary navy.

         Handing Cloud the card the blond asked for, since he seemed to know every card in Reno’s hand, he refocused on the current situation.  
         “So after this drug bust finishes up and we boot a bunch’a kiddos outta the program, we’re pulling you out. T’sa good cover, they’ll all think you were using-” he blocked his face as a handful of cards flew at him like knives. _Oh he’s gotta teach me that one._  
         “No.”  
        He looked back up from his cards to the blond. _Didn’t say that out loud, did I?_ He didn’t think so. “No what?”  
        “Don’t pull me.” Cloud pulled out his PHS. This being a fake interrogation Reno hadn’t bothered to take it from him. They just needed the other cadets to see the blond being questioned, since all the cadets were. Most of them were sitting in a pair of hallways on metal chairs or on the floor against the wall. One hall was for those already questioned and the other for those yet to be. It was probably gonna take all night long.

        “Um, not sure we can do that yo. Lazzy was pretty clear he wanted the undercover agent out.” He started picking up the cards and stuffing them back into their case. He let the blond type in silence.

**~~~~~~~~~~Cloud~~~~~~~~~~**

**C:** Don’t pull. They can’t think I’m that weak. I don’t want out yet.

        That was longer than most messages he sent. But Cloud didn’t want to leave the cadet program yet. Sure he wasn’t a real cadet, but he didn’t like the idea. He could already hear the jibes and jokes. _That Krut kid, it was so obvious,_ they would say. _He was way too weak. I don’t know what he was doing here in the first place,_ or _bet he has relatives higher up, probably the only reason he got in._ He didn’t want that. And there was training. Even if he did continue with the Firsts, they’d be suspicious. They were already suspicious, he recalled what Gen had said. They had probably already met tonight and discussed what they knew about him. The auburn promised to keep him updated if the others figured anything out.

**T:** Understandable, but no point to staying in program.

         That was Tseng’s response. Well, he could think of one. He still needed weapons training. He said as much

**C:** Wpns Training. Fair said 4/5 weeks more and would have the basics.

        While Fair may not have said those exact words, he _was_ picking sword skills up fairly quick. He didn’t need sessions with Hewley, but he most certainly did with Gen. He had way more magical power than he knew what to do with and the auburn was a materia master. Their meetings could be arranged without conflict though, so all he really needed was weapons training. Again though, if he dropped cadet classes they’d suspect something else was going on, so the Turks couldn’t pull him out just yet.

**C:** What else would I do? Sit in an office? 

_That_ got a faster response. Tseng was probably in the middle of interrogating some other cadet but he didn’t particularly care. He’d get his way one way or another, even if he had to disappear for a few hours until the man caved. 

**~~~~~~~~~~Tseng~~~~~~~~~~**

        Pressing a few fingers between his eyebrows to quell the budding headache, Tseng pulled up an email and started a draft. The teen in front of him was still vibrating with terror, having been one of the ones found stashing drugs in his clean, folded socks. An interesting place to hide pills but effective. Rude had almost missed them. 

         Cloud was right though. As much as he preferred the blond receive training from a fellow Turk, they wouldn’t have anyone available for any length of time. Turk missions popped up left and right, close to half of them being extremely short notice. They couldn’t leave him wasting away in an office or the apartment, hoping he’d find something to work on. At this point the security network and systems were up to the blond’s standards so unless they needed him to hack information he wouldn’t have enough to do to keep himself occupied while the rest of the Turks went out on missions. They couldn’t very well take him with because 70 to 80 percent of missions were kill orders. They could only take him on reconnaissance, and not until the company believed it could trust him. And he was fourteen. Tseng himself had started _training_ at thirteen when Veld’s partner disappeared, but he hadn’t been inducted as a Turk until sixteen. Veld had waited and investigated for three years for Valentine to show up before deciding Tseng was ready to be a full Turk. That was besides the point though. Cloud needed training and they couldn’t guarantee the time. 

**[To: SOLDIER Director]**  
_Director Lazard, as an executive I believe you are aware of the situation within the company regarding our undercover operative. It is under consideration that he might be best suited to remain within the cadet program for several weeks more. Removing him from classes but allowing him to continue training with the First Class at this time will only increase suspicions. As such I request, in return for assisting you with this most recent issue, he be allowed to remain until adequately trained in weapons usage._

To Cloud he sent another response. 

**T:** Lazard has been informed. We wait for his decision. 

 Turning back to the terrified cadet seated across from where he stood, he watched the boy’s eyes. The teen was clearly intimidated and knew he’d done something wrong, but it seemed like he wasn’t used to this kind of thing. They’d run drug tests on all the cadets and this one had come back clean. He’d been in possession of a few pills but clearly hadn’t used them yet. That meant he was curious, or recently found a reason to think he needed them. The cadet was larger than Cloud but still smaller than most, and there was a bruise or two on one arm. _I thought I already warned Sephiroth about bullying amongst the cadets._ He honestly felt this cadet could be allowed to stay in the program but something had to be done about this. No doubt with his appearance, Cloud was taking the brunt of the assaults. Just one more reason to keep him undercover for a while longer. Cloud could take more pressure than most, if not all, of these cadets, but if he left the program before the bullies were dealt with all of their attention would transfer to cadets like this one. 

         Honestly, Tseng didn’t care what happened to the cadets. But he did care about Sephiroth in his own strange little way. The General was like a little brother. So knowing that these teenagers might someday be fighting alongside Sephiroth, it was better to sort through them early and get rid of the ones who thought it was fun to pick on the weak. SOLDIER didn’t need that kind of attitude anyway and Sephiroth knew it just as well. The man had been bullied briefly when he started as Third Class at age 10, and while that had stopped _very_ quickly once people discovered he was _‘Hojo’s little pet’_ and could kill them all without a second thought, those were memories the General never forgot. The man absolutely _despised_ bullies simply for what they stood for. 

   Tseng had let a frown slip onto his face while thinking all of this, and realised it a little too late. Sniffing briefly, the Wutaian sighed and wondered how bad the rumours about him were this year. Staring in disapproval and hiding his disgust, Tseng turned and stepped out, for once allowing his heels to click loudly on the floor.  
         The cadet had just wet his pants. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **A/N:** Yes, very short chapter but it felt like a good stopping point.


	26. There Is No Hate, Only Joy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two years. Cloud was furious. Two years he had been applying to join SHINRA’s army, every time a recruiter came to Nibelheim.  
>  Over the weekend the Turks experience a security breach, and a week later Turk headquarters are disrupted by the laughter of a noisy redhead, after having found a video posted by one of the most notorious hackers on the darknet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **A/N:** Nice bit of Gen and Cloud in here, tiny hint at Tseng and ‘Geal.
> 
> **Disclaimer:** I own nothing but the plot, and my writing style.

         The following day, Lazard had informed Tseng he would allow him to stay in the SOLDIER Cadet Program for a few more weeks. It wasn’t _that_ big of an issue since no resources were being wasted on housing or food. The Turks took care of those things so all it meant was one extra student taking up an instructor's time, which wouldn’t actually happen if Cloud kept a low profile. As for the First Class, with the Wutai War over they didn’t have nearly as many missions to go on that required their skill level, so they had time to spare for training.

         Following the drug bust news spread like wildfire through the cadet ranks as they figured out who all had been kicked out of the program, twenty eight in total. That wasn’t much of dent compared to the total number of hopeful recruits that came tumbling in every year, but several of them seemed surprised the blond was still here. Over the course of the day he’d heard several grumbling about it, wondering if he hadn’t been on drugs or if the Lieutenant was covering for him, but none of them bothered Cloud. Unsurprisingly, most of the notably stronger cadets were gone. About half of the idiots who picked on people were still here though. Today it seemed they were all figuring out the changes in their social ladder, who the new bosses were and who their followers were, so they weren’t paying him much attention. He left it that way and headed for the 49th floor to meet Genesis.

         This morning Cloud had woken up to find a note slipped under Tseng’s apartment door, from the auburn First. It mentioned the plan for today’s training as well as what the others had decided last night. Despite their concerns over the situation regarding ‘Cadet Krut’, the First Class weren’t taking any _immediate_ action. Hewley, Fair, and Genesis would continue working with him, though they’d agreed to try and pry information out of him this week. About the names of other cadets beating him up, about his relations with the Turks, if the Science Department was bothering him at all. They didn’t want to blatantly question his relationship with Hojo because Sephiroth was visiting the labs tomorrow to catch the man off guard and question him. Hewley had immediately volunteered to speak with Tseng on the cadet’s behalf, knowing and not liking that Genesis had gotten so comfortable with the Turks lately. But _next_ week, next week they were doing something different. The General had requested a temporary break from deployment outside of Midgar quite some time ago and decided to use it this coming week, intending to monitor ‘Krut’ in his spare time. That could be problematic.

         Now at least, walking into the specified training room, he could speak with Gen about it. The auburn First was leaning against the far wall across from the door, one leg crossed over the other and Loveless open in his hand. Hearing the door slide open he closed the book and slipped it into a pocket, tossing Cloud a green materia. Barrier, he sensed as he caught it. “Not this again…” Cloud groaned. Genesis only smiled.

         “Oh hush, you know you enjoy it. And even if you don’t it doesn’t matter.” This was one of their control tests. Cloud would cast MBarrier several times, building multiple layers of magical shields in front of himself, and Genesis would constantly bombard him with fire spells until the last shield broke. It was taxing, he had to maintain a constant power flow and break it down equally between the shields. Too little and a shield would fade into nonexistence, too much and it could could shatter. He _could_ create stronger barriers, but you have put more power into it when you cast. Once the protective barriers were up you couldn’t increase their power. The last time they did this he had gotten burned pretty badly, since once the last shield broke Genesis never stopped throwing fireballs. He was supposed to get away long enough to cast more protective barriers, but he just couldn’t keep up with First Class speed. The auburn had just healed him when he got burnt, and went right back to throwing fire around.

         Shrugging his pack off his shoulder and setting it against the wall, Cloud took a breath and stepped into the center of the room. He might not like this particular method, but it _had_ been improving his control.

**~~~~~~~~~~Gen~~~~~~~~~~**

         Not an hour into training, he growled at the SOLDIER Second standing in the doorway, blinking at them in surprise. This was the fifth one, and he once again cursed Lazard for having the locking mechanisms from training room and VR room doors. Man was okay with him ripping security cameras out of the wall, but if any of the SOLDIER Firsts locked a training room door it was automatically assumed they were trashing it, leaving gouges in the walls while venting their frustration or anger. So the SOLDIER Director had removed the locks. And despite the big, red, _flashing_ OCCUPIED sign above the door on the outside, they kept getting interrupted. 

        The first had been another Third Class, simply checking to see if someone he knew was using the room and if he could join in. He left fairly quickly upon realising who was actually using the room. The second person was Second Class Deceda, whom everyone called JD, and was looking for Zack. He’d thought Genesis was tormenting some innocent cadet and moved to intervene as the next fireball flew towards the blond, only to have a different fireball fly at _him_ , and said blond throw up a barrier just in time to block it. After a few words with the Red Commander and furtive glances to see if the kid was holding up, he too left in a hurry. He suspected Deceda may have told his friends what he’d seen, because another head popped in a few minutes later belonging to Kabrin Dodge, another Second Class. It was common knowledge at this point that three of the four First Class were mentoring a single shared student, but not many knew what he looked like. It seemed they all wanted to catch a glimpse of what was sure to be the next prodigy. Dodge left, and not ten minutes later another Third popped in to get a look. Cloud was no longer turning to face the door, simply looking at _him_ impatiently as though this were all his fault. It also meant the intruders couldn’t look at his face, but they clearly got enough of a view. Even from the back you could tell Cloud was tiny, stick thin, and had a full head of beautiful, spiky chocobo hair. 

        So with this fifth intrusion, Genesis stormed over to the door, shoved the Second Class out and waited for the door to slide closed. When it finally did, he lifted Rapier and hacked away at the control panels until it was sparking angrily at him. Swiping his card through the reader, he sighed in contentment when the door refused to open, and turned back to Cloud, who was staring at him almost blankly. Almost, because there was a slight tension around the blond’s eyes that indicated he was laughing. On the inside anyway. Genesis threw a low level fire spell at him with a glare.

        “Now that _that_ isn’t an issue anymore… Start screaming so they think I’m killing you. Let’s see how long it takes for maintenance to get down here to try and fix the door.” He kept his face impassive. It was meant as a joke, but he stood stunned for a minute as Cloud took a deep breath, held it for a second, and let out a shrill, piercing yell. It ended with the blond’s shoulders shaking in laughter, though there was no longer any noise coming from him. Staring in light shock, he momentarily forgot what they were doing until Cloud was building up MBarrier shields again, no indicator remaining of what he had just done. 

        “You’ve spent far too much time in Zack’s presence!” He said with mock indignation, and proceeded to switch to a combination of lightening and ice materia. Might as well work on leveling them for Scarlet while they were at it. He still owed her for previous and future uses of that space. Unfortunately the floor she let them use was in use today, which was why he’d chosen this particular training method. Cloud couldn’t do any accidental damage to the training room with a Barrier materia. He hoped. Any time they were training together they both seemed to discovering new forms and uses for certain spells and some of them were downright destructive.

**~~~~~~~~~~Angeal~~~~~~~~~~**

         He knew Gen was training the cadet today, which was why he’d picked this particular late afternoon to speak with the Turks. If he had the time he’d ask them what they’d been needing the auburn for recently, but the most pressing matter was figuring out the situation with the blond teen. After hearing Kunsel’s theory, he refused to call the cadet Krut anymore, seeing as it wasn’t the younger teen’s real name.

         He’d arrived a few minutes ago on the Turk floors, sitting in the communal center area and waiting for someone to acknowledge him. They all seemed pretty busy and he hated to interrupt. It looked like they had more paperwork sitting around than Sephiroth did. Now though, Rude had closed a folder and set it aside and was making his way towards him. Honestly, he’d prefer to speak with Tseng about this but apparently the Wutaian wasn’t in the offices at the moment. The bald Turk nodded at him, close enough to a greeting. He waited a while before speaking up.

         “Rude, I was wondering if anyone might talk to me about your intentions with a cadet using the name Pete Krut.” There, that was good enough. Trying to word that sentence without actually _calling_ the kid ‘Krut’ was awkward. The Turk obviously took note of the phrasing though, even if all he did was raise a hand to adjust his sunglasses. It reminded Angeal of the current betting pool amongst the SOLDIERs, as to what colour the man’s eyes are. He shook the thought from his head. Rude was still standing, presumably thinking for a moment before a PHS was whipped out and he walked off. It was clear from his body language that Angeal should stay put and not follow. The bald man disappeared around a few corners and suddenly Angeal couldn’t hear the phone conversation anymore. He shrugged. They probably had soundproofing in the offices.

         A few minutes later Rude returned, PHS out of sight and a file under one arm. He handed the file over with a simple “Leave it here.”  
         The file, as it turned out, was a Turk recruitment folder detailing all observations and information they’d gathered on the blond. The name of course was blacked out, and it was noted that ‘Pete Krut’ was an alias. At least he’d confirmed that much. He still couldn’t believe none of them noticed it was Turk spelled backwards, of course Kunsel would be the one to pick up on something like that. Aside from that there wasn’t much new information. Most of it matched the blond’s cadet file. What _was_ different, was that the Turks themselves had picked him up in Nibelheim and enrolled him in the cadet program. He’d actually applied to enter it a few times before but was rejected. Now they were using him as an undercover operative to root out the supplier of common enhancement drugs. There was a black stamp mark over that section that read ‘CONCLUDED’, and three more over a section listed as ‘Induction Status’. The first two words were in blue ink and read ‘AUTHORISED’ and ‘APPROVED’, and the last was in the same black ink from earlier. It said ‘CONFIRMED’. 

        Angeal wasn’t sure what to make of this. Clearly, this wasn’t all the information they had. This was just the file prepared for anyone who came looking. But those three stamps at the bottom, he didn’t know if that meant they were clear to bring the blond into the Turk ranks or if the blond already _was_ a Turk. Kunsel had hinted as much, although the Second hadn’t actually said anything about it. It had just been a gut feeling. But looking at the file, Angeal decided he’d gotten what he came here for. Yes, Krut was an alias. Yes, they Turks were or already had recruited the blond, and if the custom weapons from Octina were any indication, he was probably already a Turk. That brought up a hoard of other feelings though, and he resolved to hunt Tseng down and have a word. The boy was _fourteen._ He shouldn’t be introduced into this line of work so young, before he really knew what his options were.

        And that was when Tseng stepped out of the stairwell and locked eyes with him. Absently he noted Rude plucking the folder from him and fading into the background with it. He couldn’t tell exactly why, but the raven First felt anger boiling up inside at the sight of a man who had probably sweet talked the young blond into joining the Turks without really knowing what they were, what they did. It surprised him then, when Rude reappeared with a small mirror and shoved it in front of him, to see his eyes glowing vibrantly green around the edges. But the mirror and that sight was enough to calm him down again. Clearly he had some pent up emotions. Maybe the Pup would be up for a spar later.

**~~~~~~~~~~Tseng~~~~~~~~~~**

         Seeing Angeal in the office, with the recruitment folder in his hands, wasn’t a surprise to him. Rude had called ahead for permission to show him the file. What was a surprise was the deep mako glow in the First’s eyes. It usually took quite a lot for anything to rile Angeal up, he was the calmest and most levelheaded of the Firsts. And it bothered him more than liked to admit that one of the man’s usually flattened raven spikes of hair was sticking directly out off the side of his head. It looked ridiculous.

         “Hewley.” He nodded, trying not to let the spike of hair get to him. The man didn’t respond other than to continue glaring at him. When Rude reappeared with a mirror he seemed to settle down though, losing the toxic green edges from his eyes as the mako light faded. His eyes were still glowing like all SOLDIER but they were back to that cold steel blue.

         “He is too young.” The First said slowly. That tone sounded a bit dangerous.  
         “Not the youngest in SHINRA though, Commander. Is there something I can do for you?”  
         “Yes. Keep him out of the Turks.” _Oh that’s not going to happen,_ Tseng thought. It’s been long enough that most, if not all of the Turks, had adopted Cloud into the family, though Elena had yet to meet him. As far as they were concerned Cloud was already one of them. And besides…  
         “He chose this path himself, Hewley. What right do I have to refuse him that?” _There’s that glare again. Wonder if he knows how unthreatening it really is. Zack’s Puppy Dog eyes are more effective._  
         “Right. And what of the previous applications to join the SOLDIER Cadet Program?”  
         “He is.. Rather _bitter_ about the rejections.” Tseng smiled. “And we pay better.”

         Angeal was clearly frustrated now, still mad. His face was so tense that the muscles around his nose were wrinkled like a growling hound. _No wonder he and Zack get along so well,_ Tseng internally chuckled. “Ask him yourself then, SOLDIER, see if you can sway him.” Tseng sat down on one of the office couches, crossing a leg over the other one. Angeal didn’t respond. Instead, the SOLDIER First turned and headed down the hall to the elevator.

**~~~~~~~~~~Angeal~~~~~~~~~~**

         That had been about as confusing as it was productive, Angeal thought as he stood in the elevator, leaning back against a hand rail. The Turks clearly had more information than they were willing to share, but they’d shared enough. And Tseng had said more than usual, which meant he was dead serious. Except for that smile! He had never seen the Wutaian let an actual _smile_ appear on his face, it was always just a twitch of the lips here or there, up or down, maybe a certain threatening light in his eyes.

         Mostly, he wondered if Tseng knew he could understand the Wutaian language. He wasn’t fluent, and he couldn’t speak it well, but he understood it well enough. That last comment as he was heading towards the elevators, he wasn’t sure if he was supposed to hear it or not. And he couldn’t be sure he heard it correctly either. He had struggled to hide the fact that he heard it. What on Gaia had prompted Tseng to say that? He recalled the words once more.

         _"That is a damn fine ass, soldier."_

         Hiding his face in his hands, Angeal hoped no one else boarded the elevator while he willed the bright blush to leave his face. _Thank bahamut Genesis isn’t here to see this._

**~~~~~~~~~~Cloud~~~~~~~~~~**

         Having spent close to three total hours training, Cloud didn’t have a lot of enthusiasm left. His control was certainly improving with each activity they did, but right now he was bored out of his mind. And apparently so was Genesis.

         They were seated on the floor now, talking materia theory and listening to the maintenance crew pounding on the door, hearing the buzz of some electric powered tool. If they really wanted to, they could destroy the door and walk out, but then there’d be people surrounding them, asking questions and checking on Cloud’s health. But it was a perfectly good door. The only thing broken about it was the electrical control panel that refused to open it. Eventually though, they knew the door would open and they’d go back to their regular duties. Cloud to the Turk offices to work on something Legend had asked about and Genesis to his own office to do… Paperwork. That didn’t sound like an appealing option.  
         “Alright, even I have lost interest in training for the moment. It wouldn’t be so bad if they knocked of that incessant _pounding_. For the Goddess’ sake I’m not _that_ evil, I’m not killing you!”  
         “If it were anyone else?” Cloud asked. There was silence.  
         “Alright fine, I would have roasted Zafa by now.” The auburn mumbled. This time Cloud was silent, shifting his head slightly in the unasked question. He had a guess already, but…  
         “Yes, I mean Fair damnit. Every since the restaurant I’ve been nicknaming people in my head. Puppy just felt overused since practically all of SOLDIER calls him that now.”   
         “Won’t know who you’re talking about.” Cloud pointed out, before noticing the sudden quiet. There were a few muffled shouts and exclamations from outside the door. “They’ll be through soon.”  
         “So quickly? A pity.” Genesis grumbled. “I’d rather not do paperwork tonight, but unless you have a grand escape plan now would be the time.” he joked. Cloud thought about it briefly.  
         “Actually….” he looked around, pointing at an air vent when he saw one. Why they put the training room vents on the floor he didn’t bother guessing. It would serve it’s purpose, if they really wanted to. Genesis looked absolutely appalled. “What?”  
         “If you think I’m dragging my precious coat through the layers of filth and dust built up in that thing-”  
         “Robotic vacuums.” He threw in before the auburn could reject the idea. He used the vents all the time and had bumped into a few of the little devices. There was one on each floor of the tower.

         “In that case, lead the way. Preferably _before_ those idiots get in here and try to sedate me. I’m sure I heard Dodge yelling for the tranquiliser.”  
         Cloud smiled.

**~~~~~~~~~~Gen~~~~~~~~~~**

         He almost couldn’t believe he, a twenty year old Commander, was doing this, but seeing the blond look back at him with a cheeky grin was worth it. And besides, he really didn’t want to do paperwork.

         To add to the confusion and build on the fun, Cloud had swiftly stripped his uniform off and slipped into the spare clothes he always brought in his bag. Genesis probably would have stared at him the whole time, but the blond had thrown a second spare shirt at him with a mischievous twinkle in his eye. After listening to the brief explanation of his plan, Genesis gladly slipped out of his coat and switched shirts before pulling his red leather back on. Before they opened the vent, they had used his mastered fire materia to leave two _massive_ scorch marks on the floor, and the now sweaty clothes lightly burned in the middle of them. Slipping into the vent and closing it behind them, they made their way up the unconventional tunnel. And Cloud was right, they vents were clean.

         So here they were crawling through the air system, heading in a generally upward direction. Here and there the blond would stop to stick his head out of a vent, and at one point they found a squirrel with a tiny shirt on. It was numbered 23. Cloud managed to open the closest vent for it to jump out of without scaring the creature, which he found impressive. They actually saw two more squirrels running through distant intersections, numbered 18 and 7. He didn’t question it. Sometimes it was easier just to go with it than bother confusing yourself with the answers.

         When they finally emerged, he found himself standing in the stairwell on the 70th floor. It said a lot about the building security, but if Cloud knew then the Turks had to be aware as well. He wouldn’t be surprised if the Turks regularly used the vents either, Cloud seemed to know them fairly well. Shrugging it off as just one more thing he found amusing about the blond, they made their way up the last flight of stairs to the roof, reveling in the feel of the wind. He always said he’d come up here to enjoy the stars some time, but in reality he only came to the roof to board the helicopters, one of which Cloud was making his way towards.

         “You don’t plan on stealing it, do you? He asked sincerely. He was almost afraid to joke about. The last two jokes he made had been taken far too seriously, as funny as it had been. Cloud was shaking his head, waving his hand over a shoulder in a general direction without bothering to look. Genesis followed the motion and noted an empty guard post. Odd, there was usually someone there… “Were you checking guard rotations on your PHS?” He’d noted several times that Cloud pulled his PHS out and glanced at the screen while they were in the vents. Good lord what a companion he’d found. Moving with a little more urgency, he followed the blond up into the cockpit of the chopper, a Turk chopper based on the interior, and settled into the unfairly comfortable seat. SOLDIER choppers were _far_ less inviting.

        For the next three hours the two of them sat inside, conversing and generally having a good time. They’d duck under the windshield when the guards came by, laughing once they’d gone. A few times the guards had heard them and come back to investigate, but they were never found. Cloud even spoke of his mentor, though he still avoided the man’s name, of a large wolf he’d befriended in Nibelheim. There were dragons too, but Genesis didn’t know whether or not to believe those stories. It was nice, though, having the someone open up to him this much. So often SOLDIER Firsts were put on that hero-worship pedestal, and while he _loved_ the attention that brought, he had also missed having a decent conversation with someone, about something other than work. Angeal used to be that outlet but a year and half ago, sometime around then, he’d picked Zack up as a student, and the Puppy was all he talked about. So this was nice. Very nice.

**~~~~~~~~~~X~~~~~~~~~~**

         Sometime that evening, the Red Leather fanclub just about exploded. Some members were supportive, some were swearing at each other, and others were swearing at whoevers hand was in the picture Genesis had posted.

They were lucky enough to have hero that actually interacted with his fanclub, unlike the General or Commander Hewley. But that night Genesis Rhapsodos posted a single photo of two hands intertwined, resting between two laps. One lap covered in the iconic red leather coat, the other covered in a pair of black jeans.   
The caption, _“Such a lovely date tonight. There is no hate, only joy…”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **A/N:** Kinda slow, but fun chapter yeah? Still 2 chaps behind.


	27. "Professor. A Word." -Seph

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two years. Cloud was furious. Two years he had been applying to join SHINRA’s army, every time a recruiter came to Nibelheim.  
>  Over the weekend the Turks experience a security breach, and a week later Turk headquarters are disrupted by the laughter of a noisy redhead, after having found a video posted by one of the most notorious hackers on the darknet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **A/N:** Heads up, first half of this chapter is kind of blah. Been struggling with Cloud’s dialogue. _(How do you write conversations with a character who only likes talking to certain people?)_ Second half is Seph in Hojo’s lab.
> 
> **Disclaimer:** I own nothing but the plot, and my writing style.

         The aftermath of what Genesis had done last night was quite evident, Cloud had noted. Many cadets were wandering the halls with their heads down, a blank, foggy look in their eyes. There were murmurs and whispers all throughout classes about the First Class dating someone, speculations on what kind of person it might be, disappointment that it wasn’t them and general frustration on the lack of information about this so called _date_. It was clear who was a Red Leather member and who wasn’t. Cloud found the whole thing ridiculous.

        A number of times in the Lieutenant’s class, a few other SOLDIERs popped in to chat and look over the cadets. There were whispers of expanding the mentor options now that more of the Firsts were interested, possibly allowing high ranking Seconds to take on students. And of course, they were also here to see the chocobo Fair was always talking about. He could hear them saying it across the room and fought not to bristle or stiffen at the nickname.

        Thing was, he didn’t actually mind having a nickname like that. The reason he hated it so much was because people instinctively called him that. It was one of the first things people said to him when they met, and it was solely based on his appearance. His appearance that got him picked on and ostracized his entire life so far. If someone knew him well, knew what he was really like, it wasn’t so bad. In Cloud’s opinion, nicknames came with _time_ in a person’s presence, _not_ the initial encounter. So hearing SOLDIERs muttering the word from across the room had already put him in a bad mood for his one on one training today. And he had to pay attention since Fair would try to get more information out of him.

~~~~~~~~~~Zack~~~~~~~~~~

         As planned, Kunsel had shown up ten minutes before the end of his class. The Second Class had wanted to see how the blond was doing in a group environment before assisting with the mentoring session. So as he called the end of class, he also called Spiky over. Using his alias of course. They were all pretty sure it wasn’t his real name, and Angeal had confirmed that yesterday after his visit to the Turks but they didn’t know what his _real_ name was either.

         While he was skilled with firearms, it was pretty obvious he still needed some weapons training. Turks didn’t get full Turk status until all of their training was complete so Zack still had hope they could sweep him into SOLDIER. He hadn’t had time to check out Spiky’s hand to hand or other combat skills yet, but even if the blond was hiding some Seph would pick up on it next week. For now though, he and Kunsel had a few hours to pick at the blond’s defenses and learn a little more.  
         “Spiky,” he started once most of the other cadets had fled the room, “I hear you know my buddy Kunsel. He’ll be training with us today.” The blond glanced at the door briefly. _He’s not seriously thinking of- oh come on!_ Zack thought, watching as the cadet turned to leave. Kunsel was a bit faster and started walking alongside him as he picked up his bag, so Zack settled for trailing behind the pair as Kunsel attempted to start a conversation. It went about as well as the Second had said their lunches went. And maybe he was a little quick to judge. Spiky hadn’t disappeared around a corner yet, and was heading for the stairs.

~~~~~~~~~~Kunsel~~~~~~~~~~

         They emerged on the 49th floor, and Blondie still hadn’t said anything. He was clearly listening when Kunsel spoke though, and that was an improvement. Kunsel had restrained himself from asking questions, sticking to general statements and memories of his cadet days. The closest he got to a response was a slight pause in the blond’s step, barely saw it. It was during a story about Instructor Terren, whom he knew the kid had for his second period class, when the man had just made it to SOLDIER Second Class. Using his new enhancements, Mike Terren had tackled a man he thought was trying to trespass into a restricted area. He lost two fingers and got shot in the foot during the scuffle, and the man got away. Of course, this started a building-wide search until someone reviewed the security tape. Had Terren been paying attention, he would have recognised the man’s dark navy suit and Wutaian features.   
        It was why all new SOLDIERs were now told to memorise what the department heads looked like, and all of the Turks. Fortunately, medics managed to reattach the fingers but Terren was still to this day _terrified_ of Tseng.

        It occurred to Kunsel the blond may have paused his step at the mention of the Turk, and he filed that away for further investigation. For now, he had two hours to teach dual wielding, and he was rather happy to find a like minded blade user. Breaking down the kid’s mental barriers would have to come second. 

~~~~~~~~~~Cloud~~~~~~~~~~

         About half way through the session, Fair called for a break and for once, Cloud was relieved. While the Lieutenant had stood, watched, and occasionally commented on his form or footwork, he’d primarily let Kunsel take command. Cloud was sweating heavily, starting to struggle with breathing, and was thankful for the chance to grab his water and re-hydrate. 

        It was different, working with a blade. Even simple wooden practice blades like they’d handed him, it was nothing like training with Viva. He’d only ever had to build up a little bit of muscle to control the recoils on firearms, and work on stealth and silence with a small dagger or knife. But swords, Gaia, he wasn’t sure it was worth the effort. His core was aching and his thighs were burning from holding ‘proper’ stances so long. Cloud was pretty sure they were ‘torture’ stances. Last week Fair had only run him through basic maneuvers, but today he was straining muscles he wasn’t aware existed, controlling his breathing was more a challenge than it’d ever been before, and he knew with certainty that he wasn’t going to wake up happily tomorrow. 

        Taking a few short sips of water and holding his hands on his head to improve airflow, he watched and listened as Fair and Kunsel spoke in hushed tones in the corner. There were a couple of gestures, taps on general muscle locations, and imitation swings of an imaginary sword. Finally, when his breathing slowed enough the mask it as normal, he stepped back into the center of the room, watching with mild surprise as Fair exited the training space.  
        “Just us now, Zack’s got something to take care of.” The Second waved him over. “And there’s something I want to ask you, while we’re at it.” Kunsel sat down against the wall, under the security camera. Cloud wanted to groan. From what Gen had said last night, this would either be about bullies or the Turks, though there was a very _slight_ possibility Kunsel had surmised his online identity. He remained standing, several feet away from the helmeted Second Class.

        “I had a chat with Tseng recently.” the Second glanced at the door, then the security camera to check his angles. It wouldn’t be able to see his face, but it would probably catch Cloud’s lip movements. “About your recruitment.” Cloud dropped his hands to his sides.

~~~~~~~~~~Kunsel~~~~~~~~~~

        Physical reaction. That was good, he might actually get somewhere tonight. No verbal response though. Kunsel rolled a shoulder, uncomfortable with his armor pressing against the wall. Now that he thought about it, he didn’t even need it on. Pulling at a clasp, he continued. “There are other options, you know.” Still no change. Deciding to push a little harder, he asked “Have you completed your initiation test yet?” From Angeal’s discoveries yesterday, he assumed so, but it would tell him how much the blond knew the SOLDIERs knew. Blondie nodded. Okay, confirmation. Finally unclipping his shoulder guard and setting it on the floor, he moved on to the other one, subtly watching the kid. 

        He had a few more things he wanted to know before they resumed training, but he took a moment to consider the next one. Currently, it was clear the Turks had some kind of hold on the blond. Whether it was leverage or he was already contracted, it didn’t seem to matter. As far as Kunsel was concerned, kid was a Turk. Just needed more training. But the other issue still on his mind was the recently inactive hacker, St0rmCl0ud. He’d lowered the probability of them being the same person when factoring the age, as he’d said to the Firsts, but a short chat with Karis Lincans revealed that when the kid started his class late, he hadn’t had a PHS. Lincans had remembered thinking it was odd because Blondie had a paper schedule when most cadets program it into their PHS. So he asked and the kid said he didn’t have PHS privileges yet. But Turks always have active communication, and Cadets are allowed to bring them into the program. Meaning, there was a reason the teen wasn’t allowed to have access to technology, and it just kept… Adding up. 

        Problem was, he’d looked into Nibelheim where they picked him up. Sure, you could import the tech needed for the kind of things the hacker had done, but how would he have gotten started? That skill level couldn’t be self taught, so someone else had to have been there. Since Nibelheim is a reactor town, SHINRA had basic files on everyone there and new people had to register when they arrived in the town, but _no one_ seemed to have that kind of experience. The Wutaian martial arts master, maybe. Or someone behind the scenes…. Yanking the second shoulder pad off, he stood and gestured to the practice sword rack, still wondering how he could prove his theory. 

~~~~~~~~~~Seph~~~~~~~~~~

         Sweeping in through the doors on the 57th floor, Sephiroth left the stuttering lab assistants behind. Absently, he noted three of them were new. One of Hollander’s creatures must have gotten loose again and eaten the others. Hojo’s escaped from time to time, but the madman never told anyone until they were presumably out of Midgar. And Hojo’s creatures never killed anyone on their way out.

         That still didn’t excuse the atrocities he’d done to SHINRA’s General though, even if he hadn’t realised it was wrong until his late teenage years, when Zack had found out. He smiled fondly thinking of the Pup until he realised the smile had formed on his face, and promptly dropped the expression in favour of scowling as the Professor came out to greet him. This man had been his largest fear growing up, always dreading the summons that inevitably led to some unexplainable experiment. He stopped asking why they were necessary since the few times he _had_ asked, the scientist began rambling on, muttering incoherently and using words that, despite his advanced scientific knowledge, Sephiroth simply couldn’t make sense of. Normally, he wouldn’t come here of his own accord, but he wasn’t the one in danger this time. This time it was a Turk recruit with suspicious circumstances and background, one who had clearly been mislead into thinking Hojo was a decent person. 

         “Professor. A word.” He moved back into the lab as the man held the door for him. He would have preferred an office, but Hojo rarely allowed anyone other than himself inside his private office in the labs. Sephiroth had only been inside it twice, and was more accustomed to sitting on the cold metal table while the other bustled around and checked on things.

         “It is very _unusual_ for you to come to me without a summons, boy. I take it something’s on your mind.” Sephiroth nodded, taking a seat. As usual, Hojo was taking the opportunity to grab a few items to draw blood while he was here.  
         “The cadet you had here, he is a Turk recruit.” He prodded. Whether or not the Professor realised it he had a tendency to give out more information than strictly necessary when he got what he wanted, like fresh samples from Sephiroth. It was how he’d learned his mother’s name, after all.

         Hojo was nodding now, visibly unsurprised. “Ts- the Commander brought him in, unique medical situation is all.” The scientist hummed a bit as he withdrew the small vial of blood. “Wonderful child. Wonderful child indeed, is he fitting in quite alright?” There it was again, that _concern._ Sephiroth couldn’t tell if it was genuine or if the man was simply looking for another specimen to toy with.  
         “There have been… Issues, with his fellow cadets.” Hojo was nodding again.  
         “Yes I’m well aware, well aware…..” He drifted off, moving towards one of the other tables. “I treat him for his injuries.”  
        “How often?”  
        “A dozen times so far, perhaps? Bruises can heal themselves, after all, so they only come here if it’s serious.” A snort. “I’m the only one who knows enough about him to do it anyway. Hollander would probably-how odd, are you feeling light headed at all?”  
         “No.” he answered, slightly puzzled over the topic change. The scientist was bent over a microscope now, but there was apparently no need to worry as the man returned to his unfinished sentence.

         “Where was I.. Oh yes, Hollander would probably kill the boy before he figured out what it is. And I can’t believe how stable this is- Ah, nevermind that,” he turned from the tables after setting things in the cooling unit to store for later, “You’re here for a reason, I presume, and not to waste my valuable time, yes?” He resisted the urge to press a hand to his forehead at the man’s overinflated sense of importance. Hojo would probably want a full lab panel to make sure he wasn’t ill if he did.  
         “There is more to his situation, as I’m sure you are aware-”  
         “And you don’t like to be left out of it, is that it? If that _big brother_ of yours won’t tell you the rest then I certainly won’t. Get out of here boy, I have nothing for you.” And with that the Professor turned to his samples, leaving Sephiroth to escort himself out. 

        He could stay, ask more questions, but there was still an underlying threat in Hojo’s tone. He still feared the man, what he could do to him. It was irrational, Sephiroth knew, but for ten years now this man had been his legal guardian, even if the company technically owned him. It was Hojo who hurt him, Hojo who had control of his body, his missions, his life. And yet it was still Hojo he turned to when something felt wrong with himself, Hojo who fixed him properly when he was in bad shape, and Hojo who reminded him, occasionally, that he was still human. For better or worse, he trusted the man. Because in all the ten years he’d known the scientist, Hojo had never once lied to him.

        "And catch that blasted _squirrel_ on you're way out." The man snapped.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **A/N:** Honestly loved writing the last paragraph yo. The other Firsts are his friends, yeah, but Hojo has always been in his life.
> 
> Still 2 chaps behind.


	28. The St0rm Lives On

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two years. Cloud was furious. Two years he had been applying to join SHINRA’s army, every time a recruiter came to Nibelheim.  
> Over the weekend the Turks experience a security breach, and a week later Turk headquarters are disrupted by the laughter of a noisy redhead, after having found a video posted by one of the most notorious hackers on the net.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **A/N:** Nice long chap to make up for missing Monday’s update yo. Also, **due to classes starting soon I will only be able to update once a week** from now on.
> 
> **Disclaimer:** I own nothing but the plot, and my writing style.

        He wasn’t sure if Sephiroth had thought he was joking, or if the boy simply left it to annoy him, but as a result Hojo had spent the entire night in the lab trying to catch the damn thing. Come morning, he was far from amiable towards the other employees on the lab floor. Hollander, as usual, was tucked away on the other side of the floor minding his own business as they both preferred, and had no idea what was going on. It went unsaid that they didn’t get along, since the man really was as insane as Hojo was _pretending_ to be. That was beside the point though. The squirrel was stealing his paperwork, presumably to make a nest somewhere. His _finished_ paperwork. Not the unsigned, blank forms he had yet to fill out. Which meant if he didn’t recover what it stole, he’d have to do all of it _again._

        For the early hours of the morning, everyone had steered away from him and hid in their offices on the floor below, but eventually they started entering the lab to get the day started. It was then that he chose to order a number of lab techs to catch the thing and bring it to him _alive._ Whoever caught the thing, he’d screeched at them, could take a fully paid week off from work. He’d pay them from his own damn paycheck if the company wouldn’t do it, but the squirrel problem had to be taken care of, and apparently the dark bags under his eyes and the crazed look he put _in_ his eyes was enough incentive to get started immediately. And six hours later, voila. Lab Technician Dan Peterson came in with a small animal testing crate, a stack full crumpled papers, and a good number of scratches. He left immediately for Costa to spend his week off in the sun.

        Now, as Hojo stared through the bars of the crate at the trembling animal, he couldn’t help but chuckle. It was wearing a small jersey with a number 3 printed on the back, but it wasn’t calm enough to let him take the shirt off. It reminded him briefly of the fact that Cloud had a natural affinity with animals, of watching the three year old waddle into the mansion with nibble marks on his arm. Of course, it took time for the creatures in the area to learn to trust him. They’d been hunted and killed by humans for so long their initial reaction was trying to eat the blond, but it never took too long for them to settle down, even the dragons. His own son, on the other hand, never ventured out to try much. Sephiroth had been a scholarly sort, nose always in a book, until he arrived in Midgar and began training, so the only experience he had with animals was killing the ones people viewed as monsters. Cloud would have been able to calm the squirrel down in minutes.

        Moving about his lab office now, he left the squirrel in the crate. When it calmed down more, he might take a look at it. He had an experimental serum from a side project that he might try on the thing. So far it hadn’t harmed any of the lab animals, so it was safe enough. For now though, he had papers to try and flatten, sort, and file away. That alone was going to take an hour or more, and then he’d still have to figure out if any documents were still missing. With one last glance at the crate and a curse of “ _blasted little thing,”_ Hojo set to work.

**~~~~~~~~~~Zack~~~~~~~~~~**

        He wasn’t entirely sure it would work, but it was worth a try. The least he and Kuns could do was figure out where the blond was staying if not in the cadet dorms, to make sure it was safe. Except they couldn’t exactly follow the kid when he seemed to disappear around any corner in the building. He’d actually tried a few times in the blond’s second month here, but no luck there.

        With the shortage of Midgar assignments lately, since Seph had pretty much massacred the monster population when he came back from Wutai and saw the video, a lot of the guys stationed here were looking for something to do. The remaining creatures on and under the plate were still repopulating so they weren’t causing a lot of problems at the moment. That left a lot of dudes hyped up on mako with no way to expend the energy, except training. And doing favours for one Zackary Fair.

        Kunsel had rounded up a bunch of the guys, JD, Zdenik, Pakeda, Dodge, Terren, anyone available and off duty really, and posted one on each of the main floors from 17 to 39. Cadets didn’t have access to the SOLDIER floors or higher, so they weren’t worried about that. Although he did worry the Turks might have given the boy more access. Seph and ‘Geal had suggested he might be using the hidden Turk corridors they’d found, but there was nothing they could do about that. That was the main reason he wasn’t sure the plan would work, the Turks were keeping a close eye on Spiky.

        He was also worried that maybe they’d pushed a little too far yesterday, or asked a question that had made the kid uncomfortable. He hadn’t really said anything, as usual, but Kunsel gave the impression the kid was _not_ happy with the inquiries. As it turned out, they were both right. 

**~~~~~~~~~~Cloud~~~~~~~~~~**

        He’d expected Kunsel would be here again today, and he was right. The SOLDIER Second had been trying to get him to talk since the first day he popped into the Cadet Cafeteria. As for Fair, the guy was just too energised for Cloud. He was used to calm, quiet, focused Nibelheim. He was most certainly _not_ used to hyperactive ADHD _sort of_ superior officers intent on poking their noses into Turk business. Cloud paused at that. It was the first time he’d really referred to himself like that, as a part of the Turks. He shrugged it off.

        As expected, Kunsel and Fair had followed him up the stairs and tried to start conversations. It was clear Fair wasn’t used to having this much trouble, since he resorted to talking about Midgar’s weather. _No one_ bothered talking about that. It was smog. It was _always_ smog. And Cloud hated it. He missed the fresh, icy mountain air from home. This place just gave him headaches.

        Keeping quiet on the way up, into the training rooms, and nodding at the appropriate places when a response was required, it almost wasn’t bad. His muscles still ached and screamed at him from yesterday’s training, but he powered through it. It felt good. The dual wielding thing was tricky, splitting his focus to move the hands separately, but ultimately when he got a grasp on things it started to flow a little better. No where near perfect, but it was a start towards knowing the basics. As the Lieutenant said in the weapons shop, a lot of fighting skills come with experience, so you just need a basic foundation to build on. Hopefully he wouldn’t get eaten or killed by anything before then.

        Running through the starting defensive stances while Fair came at him with another dull training blade, he knew the First wasn’t at full power. He was intentionally slowing things down enough so Cloud could see what he was doing and adjust appropriately to receive the blow while Kunsel instructed him from the background. He was miffed at the obvious differences in their strength, feeling the weight behind Fair’s blows, but the guy was mako enhanced and he was grateful for the comparison. Or he was, until one of the blows had too much weight behind it and sent him off balance falling backwards. And his training with Viva kicked in enough to roll with it and come right back up to find both SOLDIERs staring at him. _Oops._

        But apparently, the roll wasn’t what caught their attention. They weren’t looking him in the eye, they were staring at his uniform, at his stomach. Fair was gently setting his blade down, and Kunsel now stood in front of the door. Cloud mentally cursed. He’d felt the shirt ride up, of course, during his reverse somersault, but he hadn’t thought anything of it. Now, he recalled a scuffle between a few cadets yesterday, between classes. Ones disgruntled over the Red Leather post and looking for a way to vent their frustration. He’d only really worried that Gen might see it and think it was his fault, but otherwise he’d completely forgotten about the bruising. _Gaia damnit._ Pulling the collar of his shirt out, he glanced down through his clothes to see them. Yep, nice and blue, yellow edges. Of course. They would be gone by tomorrow night but Fair just _had_ to see them when the colours were at their darkest.

        “Spikey…” Fair stepped towards him. Couldn’t they just continue training? It wasn’t a big deal, it happened all the time. He raised the training blades in his hands. The Lieutenant seemed to take this the wrong way and took a step back, looking like he was afraid he might hurt him. He shook his head and glanced at Kunsel. Cloud took the moment to check the vent behind him. Kunsel was obviously blocking the door but the vent was close enough he might make it. It depended on how fast those SOLDIER reflexes really were, and Fair would never fit in the vents. Which left Kunsel, who was at the far end of the room.

        “Why don’t we go down to the infirmary to get those checked out kid, there could be internal damage.”

        Maybe Tseng was right, maybe he should have been pulled out the night of the drug bust. He’d wanted to do something, prove something to the other cadets. That he wasn’t weak. But he couldn’t let his skills slip out or his cover would be blown, so he was still letting himself get beaten up. He honestly couldn’t figure out a reason why at the moment, when it kept causing problems like this. He didn’t _need_  to be the weak cadet anymore, they weren’t trying to draw out anymore drug dealers or suppliers. Thinking about it, he could probably back out now. Most Turks were trained by their partners, and other Turks in their spare time. No one had a lot of spare time right now but surely _someone_ could help. Or maybe he could refuse training from Fair, have Gen take up the sword work instead. _Except Gen can’t dual wield. Bloody bahamut this is a mess._

        Fair was edging closer now, hands down in front to show he wasn’t a threat. He could just go to the infirmary with them and be whisked away again. Reno would probably pick him up. But he was seriously starting to consider blowing his cover. He wasn’t needed here, he had at least a low base level of training with swords, he was fine with firearms, his hand to hand was stellar… _Eh, why the fuck not,_ Cloud took a breath. Then another one. Fair took it as a sign he was getting agitated and slowed his approach. Good thing too, because following the next breath, Cloud threw his training swords at him. Or one of them at least. The other was sent towards Kunsel though there wasn’t enough strength behind it to reach the Second Class. He’d also slammed his heel backwards and down onto the edge of the vent in the wall and broken it off to open his escape, and while the SOLDIERs stood stunned or confused or whatever for a moment, Cloud crouched and sprang into the vent, scrambling off as quickly and quietly as he could. It wouldn’t take them long to get over the confusion, and either Kunsel would come in after him or they’d try to follow him by listening to the noise coming from the vents. He hoped by that point at least, he’d have made it to a different floor. _A higher floor,_ he decided, heading down a vent he knew would link him up with his usual path back to the apartment. He shrugged off all the ideas about being undercover and training. There’d be another way to get what he needed, there always was. Again in his head he repeated his earlier thought. _Why the fuck not._

**~~~~~~~~~~Seph~~~~~~~~~~**

        He’d actively avoided going to work today. That was unusual. But he couldn’t stop thinking about what Hojo had said. There was clearly more going on with the blond and no one seemed willing to explain. Whatever it was, it couldn’t be _that_ bad. If the cadet name was an alias, the Turks probably gave it to him for security while undercover. If he had prior training, the Turks already knew about it. If the boy was going to be, or already was a Turk, Sephiroth had no say in the matter. He’d be happy to let Tseng have this one recruit, there would be others to fight over. If he was the hacker responsible for the video, the company would do what it thought best. While he still would rather slice someone to bits for that so called _film,_ Sephiroth had calmed down enough to let it pass.

        Honestly, much of this didn’t matter to him. What _did_ matter was Hojo, and the way the man had been acting lately. Protective. Defensive. Caring. Concerned. These were not things he’d come to expect from the scientist over the years. The Professor had _changed_ since the boy’s arrival, and that was something worth noting. He’d considered the possibility the boy might be another experiment like himself, but dismissed it almost immediately. The Professor had mentioned a sensitive medical issue, and the Turks appearing to scoop the blond out of the infirmary every time seemed to support this. But he couldn’t ignore it. There was _something_ about that boy, and for some reason despite his security clearance, despite his familiarity with odd situations, Sephiroth wasn’t allowed to know anything. He simply couldn’t fathom what reason they had to keep him in the dark, what purpose it served to keep this information from him. So he hadn’t gone to work today. He’d notified Lazard and taken off for the training grounds. Eventually he headed for the Turk floors, caught Tseng whirling about the office looking for some particular piece of paper. One long stare, and after the paper was found Tseng had lead him up to the apartment.

        It was closing on four thirty now, and Tseng returned from the kitchen with two cups of tea, taking a deep breath in the doorway of his bedroom as if the Wutaian _knew_ this would be an unpleasant discussion. Taking the offered cup, Sephiroth settled against the headboard out of old habit. When they were younger, this is where they’d had most of their off-duty arguments. A ten year old Sephiroth sitting in thirteen year old Tseng’s bedroom, avoiding his own cold, empty, lifeless apartment. Sephiroth had never had many personal items, and the ones he did were usually confiscated. Or stolen and sold to his fanclub, that happened sometimes and he had no clue how they got to his apartment. No matter, he’d tried to bring colour into his living space, a painting here, a flush rug there, different coloured dishes, but it never felt satisfying and he would end up throwing them out. Tseng’s place might be empty, but it always had an odd combination of a classic and modern earthy kind of feel. It was comfortable, which made it all the better for sitting down to talk for long periods of time.

        The next half hour, he got nowhere. No new information, no explanations. Only bland statements about the company deeming it wise to withhold certain information from him at this time. He’d let the matter drop for now, and opted to stay for dinner, though not before promising he wouldn’t bring the blond up in conversation again. Not in the apartment. And it had been a long time since he’d eaten Tseng’s cooking.

**~~~~~~~~~~Seph~~~~~~~~~~**

        They were sitting in the kitchen when he heard it, a small rumbling coming from the vents, a light thump a moment later. Tseng hadn’t taken notice and was still chopping some green thing up with a throwing knife he’d pulled out of the wall. Apparently he used them as coat hooks when he wasn’t cooking.

        Tseng’s hearing was stellar for an unenhanced, so he was certain he’d only heard it because of his enhancements. The thump had landed in what he knew to be the spare bedroom, so he stood and made towards the door. The movement in Tseng’s peripheral had him looking up in an instant, setting the blade down and slipping his PHS out.

        “I would prefer you not enter that room,” he offered while typing a message out. “It is currently in use.” That made him pause. Tseng never liked having other people in the apartment. Yet someone was clearly in that room.

        “By who?” he watched as Tseng checked his PHS again, reading a message response.

        “Injured operative,” he gestured towards his own room. “I advise returning to my room before he comes out for food.”

        “Should we not check his status?” Sephiroth turned towards the door again.

        “No. He is… Unpredictable at best, when confined,” Tseng looked as though he  were recalling something. “Best give him space.”

        Curious, but not feeling up to startling an injured Turk, Sephiroth grudgingly made his way back to Tseng’s bedroom and face-planted into the mattress while the Wutaian closed the door.

**~~~~~~~~~~Tseng~~~~~~~~~~**

        Tseng assumed, judging by which door Sephiroth had been heading to, that Cloud had just dropped out of the vents. He hadn’t heard anything himself, and cursed at SOLDIER enhancements. As it turned out, Cloud had ditched training with Fair and Kunsel by escaping through the vents. Rhapsodos would love hearing about this tomorrow, he was sure. He also knew they couldn’t keep the Firsts in the dark for too much longer, and it appeared Cloud had reached the same conclusion. He reread Cloud’s response once more, looking at it in a different light.

**C:** _Yes. Ditched Fair. Withdraw SFC training over weekend. Gen tomorrow?_

        Tseng almost smirked at the improvement. Cloud was sending more than five or six words now, and starting to speak up more in person. He was glad to see it. Shoving the momentary distraction aside, he composed a response of his own.

**T:** _Will discuss training later and yes, you may have Rhapsodos over tomorrow. My guest and I will remain in my room. Kitchen is open._

        This time he did smirk. Almost like having a baby brother. _Or a second one_ , he supposed, turning to find Sephiroth rummaging through his drawers. Observing a moment longer he watched the silver First triumphantly hold up three bars of imported Wutaian dark chocolate, troubles and anger forgotten. _If the world only knew such a simple thing could distract the Silver General._

        “You may have _one.”_

Sephiroth pouted, but nevertheless handed the other two over. He’d have to find a better spot to hide them once he left.

**~~~~~~~~~~Cloud~~~~~~~~~~**

        Slipping out of his room, Cloud padded silently towards the kitchen. He’d changed out of his cadet uniform and pulled on the usual black shirt and jeans, forgoing shoes in favour of just his socks, also black. It was how he’d dressed in Nibelheim mostly, since black absorbed what little sunlight they had up there to keep him warm, it was what he found most comfortable. He’d opted not to visit Uncle Rin about the latest injuries, fairly certain it was only bruises and nothing serious, but he had slipped into Urban Development for more tea packets. Except Tuesti’s secretary was there and made a fuss over him being an _‘adorable chicabo.’_ So he’d taken the whole box instead of a few packets as a petty form of revenge. For a good while, he sat drinking the hot cup he’d made after slipping the box into the cupboard full of tea mixes and brands. Turns out it was just as good hot as it was as iced tea, but a throbbing headache arrived and prevented him from drinking all of it so he put it in the fridge for later. Or maybe tomorrow’s breakfast smoothie.

        It was when he had finally convinced himself to get up from the couch and grab a pear from the fridge that he heard Tseng’s door open and a fast swish of air, and he turned towards the sound. Fruit held in his mouth, one hand on the fridge door, and the other in the pocket of his jeans, he was most certainly _not_ expecting to find himself face to face with Sero- or General Sephiroth, whatever. But it did explain the suddenly increasing headache. Hojo had warned him about that. Both stood wide eyed, as much as it was possible for either of them, as seconds slowly drifted by. Until Tseng split out of his bedroom fast enough to be a blur to nonenhanced eyes, and instincts kicked in.

        “UD dep.” He said in Tseng’s direction, though it was muffled by the pear, and bolted for the door. Sephiroth made to follow but the Wutaian was close enough to get a hand on his neck. The last glimpse Cloud got as he left, the General was falling towards the ground. 

**~~~~~~~~~~Seph~~~~~~~~~~**

        “I still believe you owe me an explanation,” he grumbled, watching Tseng move about the apartment. It was close to an hour later. Admittedly that was the best hour of sleep he’d gotten in awhile, but it being brought on by a Wutaian Nerve Pinch wasn’t a good way to fall asleep.

        “I owe you nothing. You intended to intercept him.”

        Sephiroth glared and lifted the bag of frozen peas on the back of his neck, shaking it for emphasis.

        “You used a _nerve pinch._ Do you know how fucking much that hurts? You said you wouldn’t do that again after the laser incident!”

        “Did I? I can’t recall-” Tseng was cut off.

        “Bullshit! I was 13, you were 16, Scarlet’s office-”

        “Oh yes, when you went momentarily insane and tried to use an explosive laser device to remove your head-”

        “I was _trying_ to cut my _hair_ dammit!”

        “And I said _unless circumstance requires it_ , I’d at least _attempt_ not to use a nerve pinch on you. Circumstance required, calm yourself,” Tseng chastised. Sephiroth threw the bag of peas at him, still annoyed that the attempt to cut his hair had failed.

        “Regardless, why is a cadet, _even_ if he is a Turk recruit, comfortable enough to waltz into the Turk Commander’s apartment and eat your food? You said ‘ _injured operative’_ earlier, so answer me this at least. Is he, or is he not, already a Turk operative?”

        He could tell taking the time pick the bag frozen peas up was a delay, a way for Tseng to gain time to compose his response.  There was a weighty silence during the pause, before Tseng straightened up and put the vegetables back into the freezer.

        “I warned you,” Tseng began, shifting to the other side of the kitchen and reaching to the side of a cupboard. Pulling out the X-ray of Cloud’s fractured rib, he slid it towards Sephiroth. Picking it up, he looked it over briefly.

        “You advised me to thin out the brainless muscle, yes, I remember. What has an injured cadet have to do… with.. This?” the sentence came out slowly towards the end, as Tseng pulled out file after file, full of X-rays and photos of bruises and other injuries. More cracked ribs, a few broken fingers, that one looked an awful lot like a fractured cheekbone. All were injuries that materia or mako would heal properly, but weren’t to be taken lightly if left untreated. Many of the photos pictured abdomens covered in various stages of bruising. And, as he could feel Tseng watching him pick up one after the other, he noted most if not all of those particular photos had the same scar above one hip. It took a few more moments to piece things together, but…

        “I warned you. Nearly a month has passed but nothing was done. Nothing to keep the more subtly skilled individuals protected while they develop.”

        “These are all cadets then? All of this? Just from one month?” he asked incredulously. Tseng was shaking his head at him.

        “A compilation from roughly three months, Sephiroth. Those are not _all_ the cadets, that pile is from _one_ in particular,” the Wutaian moved to a lower drawer and pulled out a second stack, roughly the same size as the first. “ _These_ ,” he gestured towards the new stack, “are all the others. It is not acceptable.”

**~~~~~~~~~~Seph~~~~~~~~~~**

        Sephiroth was appalled. No, that didn’t even cover it. He was astounded, furious, dismayed. Clearly the anti-harassment and discrimination policies were being taken lightly. Tseng was absolutely right, this was unacceptable. Not only was the situation widespread, given the variation of cadet dorms and supervisors involved, but the blond seemed to be taking the brunt of the abuse. And he hardly showed it. Three months, that was as long as the boy had been here.

        When Tseng had spoken to him the first time, the report was kept nameless. He’d seen the first X-ray and photo or two. There was no face, no name to go with it, and he’d considered it an isolated event. Since his return from Wutai, there had only been a few incidents in the Cadet Program worth noting. He realised now that there were more, many more, that simply weren’t being reported. Not through the proper channels, anyway. If Tseng had the files they were probably keeping an eye out on specific cadets, including the blond, and made their own reports.

        “Many times, amazing talent is often wasted behind mindless brutes simply because they haven’t the bodily strength to break through the masses on their own.” Tseng offered.

        It sounded so familiar, so much like what Angeal had said to him before.

        Nodding, he delved into to the files and photos laid in front of him.

**~~~~~~~~~~Tseng~~~~~~~~~~**

        “To answer an earlier question,” Tseng interrupted a while later, “he is living here.” At this the General looked up. “You asked why he was comfortable here, eating my food. It is his food as well. He lives with me.” Sephiroth was clearly confused. He was still holding a number of photos and reports in one hand, the other gently rubbing his forehead.

        “And this was _your_ idea?” he sounded a little dazed, actually. Tseng nodded.

        “He was discovered during an operation and deemed a possible future asset to the company. His file is designated Turk Recruit but we have no available partners to train him and needed an operative in the cadet ranks. Due to his file status and a… situation with the company, he resides with me both for his own protection and for company interests,” _more or less,_ Tseng added in his head.

        “I was made aware your use for him amongst the Cadets is no longer an issue. He stays in the program for… what then, _only_ weapons training? When you could request SOLDIER assistance, why keep him with the cadets? He certainly isn’t one of them. Custom weapons are not bought for _possible_ recruits Tseng. You already have his contract, else the Turks wouldn’t cover the expense.”

        Taking a slow breath, he decided it couldn’t hurt to spare a _little_ more information. Cloud _had_ said he wanted to withdraw from SFC training. “ _A_ contract… yes, but ultimately, it is his choice whether he remains with our department,” Tseng bit back a grimace as Sephiroth’s eyes sharpened. It wasn’t likely the SOLDIERs could sway Cloud to their department but it _was_ a risk.

        “And this… Situation, you said, with the company?”

        Now _that_ information wasn’t his to give. Shaking his head an imperceptible degree, Tseng began collecting the files strewn about the kitchen table. “He is a recruit _,_ Sephiroth, a _Turk_ recruit. We _all_ have less than admirable backgrounds.”

**~~~~~~~~~~X~~~~~~~~~~**

        As Sephiroth eventually departed and headed towards the elevator, Tseng let out an honest, audible sigh. He’d passed on far more information than he’d intended, but truly at this point the only things the SOLDIERs were _not_ allowed to know were whatever this mysterious medical condition was, and his identity revolving around the hacker alias St0rmCl0ud. Rhapsodos, of course, was the exception as he had been one of Cloud’s conditions. Sort of.

        Sephiroth had decided, without prompting, that Cloud’s SOLDIER First Class mentoring sessions were over, effective immediately. If the blond really needed weapons training, he’d said, Tseng could go through an official channel and request SOLDIER training assistance from Lazard. It wasn’t his problem. As he had already planned to do so, the General would spend the next week secretly observing the cadet courses to note who was unfit for the SOLDIER program personality-wise. The man had an impeccable record for rooting out unnecessarily dominant individuals, commonly known as bullies. It would also allow him time to observe Cloud under cover, but Tseng wasn’t particularly worried about that. So long as Sephiroth kept his distance and Cloud didn’t abuse his minimal technology privileges, it would be fine. A tiny voice of doubt in the back of his mind said otherwise, but he shoved it aside. Pending judgement over the bullies, Cloud was to be pulled out of the cadet program altogether. He was only remaining the following week to assist in drawing the delinquents out.

        Now that _that_ was over, he sent a quick message to his second in command before shrugging out of his uniform and into a pair of silk sleeping pants and crashing on the couch in front of a completely ignored movie. Ignored, because Tseng was asleep after the first few minutes, drifting off to thoughts of bodies, memories of Reno lounging in one of his office chairs, messy white shirt falling open, of Rufus waking up bleary eyed with his head in Tseng’s lap after he stole the helicopter and cautiously crash landed, thin neck stretching and highlighting itself with the angle, of Angeal’s ass as he walked away down the hall, muscles rippling like…

        Jolting awake as the end credits were rolling, Tseng fell off the couch. _Good gaia,_ he thought. _No wonder my discipline is slipping._

Out loud to the empty apartment, he murmured “I haven’t gotten laid in three months…”

**~~~~~~~~~~Reno~~~~~~~~~~**

        With Rude in the office and everyone else doing something important, Reno had decided as second in command of the Turks it was time for him to take a break. Honestly with Cloud around his workload had been chopped in half, but the downside was he got all of the paperwork. As a part-timer, Cloud wasn’t allowed to touch it. Anyway, he’d made his way down to Urban Development where the blond was, knowing the location because Tseng had sent it to him earlier, and was in the process of monitoring said blond while he and Tuesti messed with his fanclub.

        Feeling his PHS buzz once more in his pocket, he snapped it out to have a look.

**T:** I am off. You have command.

        He’d learned by now that was practically code for _Tseng needs nap,_ and promptly disregarded the message, stuffing the device back into his pocket. Rude was in the office. He could take care of things. _This_ was far too entertaining to walk away from.

**~~~~~~~~~~Tuesti~~~~~~~~~~**

        When Cloud had slid out of a vent directly into his office, Reeve resolved to have the vents looked at. Sure, if the Turks used them it was useful but that _had_ to be a security issue. The only external vents were on the roof so that wasn’t an issue, but at this rate Sephiroth might find cadets looting his apartment. According to the blond, the vents had easy access to every floor in the Tower. Who knows, maybe that was how the Silver Elite kept getting ahold of the General’s belongings to auction for ridiculous prices. Reeve left a short memo on his desk to remind himself before directing his attention to the young Turk.

        He’d spent a few minutes catching the kid up on his latest ideas and creations, modding Cait Sif, a voice activated toaster. Kid liked the toaster, but the rest of it didn’t seem to hold his attention long. At some point during his ramblings though he’d mentioned St0rmClub and being a member and _that_ had sparked the blond’s eyes up. Kid hadn’t been in contact with the club since Tseng brought him, what with every move being monitored. They were watching the slow trickle of an almost empty chat when Reno waltzed in, and Cloud immediately went sheepish. It was hard to tell, but at least he _thought_ that’s what the expression was. The redhead didn’t seem to mind much though, and upon noting what they were doing, pulling out his PHS and fiddling with it momentarily. And a few moments later the chat was suddenly alive again.

**~~~~~~~~~~ST0RMCLUB~~~~~~~~~~**

**St0rmNight:** Anyone here?

**St0rmsSecrestSexSlave:** Yeah

**St0rmNight:** Do you think Fox took him out?

**St0rmsSecrestSexSlave:** *cries* he’s a fucking Turk, what do you think?

**CirrusSpike:** I refuse to believe that. Nothing can calm our Storm.

**St0rmNight:** That’s probably not even their real name, and it doesn’t matter now. :((

**F0#iTayl:** He’s fine yo.

**St0rmNight:** Fuck u Fox

**St0rmNight:** Wait wut?

**St0rmsSecrestSexSlave:** My  <3 is alive?!!

**CirrusSpike:** Told u so Night!

**St0rmFX:** THE STORM LIVES ON

**St0rmzAng3l:** Guys, Fox said ‘he’

**St0rmsSecrestSexSlave:** He beat the Turks I can’t believe it

**St0rmsSecrestSexSlave:** I’m so over Seph- just deleted my SE account

**DisturbingD0wnp0ur:** Wats up guys?!

**St0rmFX:** THE STORM LIVES ON & ON & ONNNNNNN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

**CirrusSpike:** Storm is back bring it on like donkey kong bitches!

**CirrusSpike:** @F0#iTayl No offense Turk

**F0#iTayl:** None taken yo.

**St0rmzAng3l:** @F0#iTayl you said HE. ITS CONFIRMED STORM IS A GUY NOW I CAN MARRY HIM

**StratusCloud:** Slow down bitch guys can get married too

**CumulusFluff:** Watch the lingo please

**dARKsT0RM:** Fuck, that makes me gay

**FyreSt0rmSky:** Pussy. it don’ matta if yall’re M/F, Storm is an exclusion to orientation

**DrinkingRainDrops:** @St0rmsSecrestSexSlave you had Silver Elite account? What was it, SephsSecrestSexSlave?

**DrinkingRainDrops:** Also LMFAO you spelled secret wrong

**Cl0udzAlumni:** @CumulusFluff wuz gonna say the same thing

**F0#iTayl:** Aww shit I wasn’ s’pposed ta tell y’all anything ‘bout ‘im….

**FyreSt0rmSky:** Thankya sweethang Turk, best parta my day’s hearin’ u spill info

**St0rmBr3ath3r:** So he really is male? What’s he look like

**St0rmSpringzL0ver:** Storm’s really ‘live? Thank gaia, just sent a new motorcycle to the gift warehouse!

        At that last message Cloud and Reno looked at each other.

        “How much shit they sendin’ to that warehouse Blondie?”

        Reeve cleared his throat. “If I may…”

**MopEater:** What kind of bike? Bet it was cheap as SHINRA’s trash

**FyreSt0rmSky:** Better not be $ or I’ma buy ‘im a $$$$$ betta 1 an he’ be kissin’ me sober don’cha b’lieve t 

**St0rmsSecrestSexSlave:** stuffit up ur ass RainDrops I heard about Seph before Storm oK?

**ClearSky:** Bike specs pls?

**Cl0udzAlumni:** Or photo pls

**St0rmSpringzL0ver:** (img src="(url-link)" WIDTH=1000 HEIGHT=1000)

        With Reno now sitting down next to Reeve, Cloud was standing behind the two with an arm resting on each shoulder and all three of them whistled simultaneously. The image flicking upwards as the chat continued on was… highly enticing to say the least.

        “You have that warehouse address?” Reno turned his head to look at Cloud over his shoulder.

        “Which one?”

**St0rmSpringzL0ver:** Total custom build, top’a the line baby. And no it was NOT cheap. Fucking /expensive/ to make

**AuburnAngel:** Build me one. I will pay.

      Both Reno and Cloud coughed in surprise, filling Reeve in when he gave them a questioning look.

**ClearSky:** specs pls? Might be interested in

**Cl0udzAlumni:** Mother of Gaia I’m drooling right now. I could never afford that

**CumulusFluff:** You can’t but SOLDIER-boy might be able too

**St0rmBr3ath3r:** Say wat now?

**MopEater:** Believe Auburn was sayin they’re SOLDIER when the vid came out

**St0rmFX:** Boom, dun dun dunnnnnn

**CirrusSpike:** Nice sound FX lol

**St0rmSpringzL0ver:** @AuburnAngel Seriously? Took me forever to make

**AuburnAngel:** For the love of the Goddess YES I am serious. ClearSky probably is too

**ClearSky:** @AuburnAngel... How?

**MopEater:** @ClearSky you SOLDIER as well?

**FyreSt0rmSky:** Dayyum we got ou’selves som SOLDIA boys in HERE

**CumulusFluff:** Don’ know for sure. They better prove it

**AuburnAngel:** Ask the Puppy why don’t you. :P

**ClearSky:** Yes, but lower rank.

**ClearSky:** @AuburnAngel btw does RLFC know you’re here? BC if you’re lying, they WILL.

**SilverStorm:** What is all this activity about?

**St0rmFX:** THE STORM LIVES ON

**St0rmFX:** Boomshakalaka. Laka.

**MopEater:** Hello Silver, you must be new

**Cl0udzAlumni:** F0#iTayl is a Turk sent to deal with St0rmCl0ud who is fine BTW and also male, AuburnAngel and ClearSky are SOLDIER, St0rmSpringzL0ver built a custom bike as a gift and everyone is drooling over it.

**F0#iTayl:** Yo Auburn… That aint... /him/ is it?

**~~~~~~~~~~Seph~~~~~~~~~~**  
        _That was much more of a response than I’d imagined getting,_ Sephiroth thought, watching as the comments flicked onto the screen and pushed the others farther up. And if AuburnAngel really was SOLDIER, he had a feeling he knew who it was. The Turk too. Sephiroth couldn’t decide if he cared whether or not those two followed the hacker. He’d watched the video a dozen times now, and despite the _massive_ security breach, invasion of privacy, and theft of anything from SHINRA, it _did_ make him nearly laugh. Nearly, because he wasn’t ready to admit how humorous he found it to watch himself be mocked so much. All that SOLDIER publicity must have finally driven him insane.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **A/N:** Been doing the HTML manually the whole time, just figured out what the Rich Text setting is yo. Thank Gaia, though it fucks with line spacing.  
>  And lol, Tseng.


	29. Shopping Trip

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two years. Cloud was furious. Two years he had been applying to join SHINRA’s army, every time a recruiter came to Nibelheim.  
> Over the weekend the Turks experience a security breach, and a week later Turk headquarters are disrupted by the laughter of a noisy redhead, after having found a video posted by one of the most notorious hackers on the darknet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **A/N:** Pls forgive the chap title yo. It's late.
> 
>  **Disclaimer:** I own nothing but the plot, and my writing style.

        After hearing the load of information Seph pried out of Tseng yesterday, Zack had to admit he was pretty impressed with Spiky. Having been taken in by Angeal so early no one had the chance to beat him up or push him around, but the blond was taking unnecessary damage and still hanging in there. Sephiroth had all but said Spike was a Turk already, though the contract apparently wasn’t the usual one. Whatever drug bust the blond was involved in was already over and done with, so he couldn’t think of a decent reason why anyone would  _ choose _ to stay in a situation where they got beat up so often. More than often, if what Seph said about the files was true. The silver First had made it sound terrible, and Zack was pretty sure Seph hadn’t learned to exaggerate quite yet. He added that to his list of things to work on.

        Anyway, Spiky clearly had enough training to qualify as a Turk as soon as he learned to wield a blade. Or multiple blades, whatever. Either way he could see why the Turks were keeping the blond close and constantly monitored. If fact, that was probably what Reno had meant about surveillance privileges last time he was in the slums, where he himself was just returning from.

        He’d been heading to a bar with a few buddies early in the morning. He didn’t know why they bothered drinking, almost nothing below plate could even get them buzzed. When he bumped into the girl from the church though, he’d sent them on ahead and ignored the whistles and lewd hand gestures they made as they departed. After apologising profusely for his friends, and for breaking a whole in her church, he learned it was  _ not _ , in fact, her church. She was more upset about the flowers being crushed because she helped them grow, but she was glad they softened his landing. And so instead of drinking, he’d spent the better part of the morning walking with her, watching her interact with the locals and eventually, helping tidy up the church. They’d really hit it off, he thought, and talked the whole time, pausing here and there for a bite to eat. Someone still left packaged food offerings at the altar and Aerith felt no guilt snacking on them.  _ “It’s a wonderful thing, belief, but no food goes to waste down here. Besides,”  _ she’d giggled,  _ “I don’t think the gods will mind.” _ There was a twinkle in her eye just then, like she knew something he didn’t. The look suited her somehow.

        Anyhow, they’d cleared up the debris from his crash landing and used the materials to patch a few holes in the walls, repair a few of the pew benches even. There was so much more work they could have done, but as soon as started talking about the SOLDIER program she sent him on his way. Something about getting into trouble down here. She was obviously startled, and a little nervous, so he didn’t push the issue and left without complaint. They parted on good terms though, with a promise to meet up again sometime next month, and he’d managed to get her PHS number. It was almost surprising she had one, but for safety purposes it made sense. It was clear  _ someone _ was looking after her. Still, Zack felt good. He actually  _ liked _ her, and he hadn’t felt that way in a while. The best part of it was, she apparently felt the same way. Or at least he thinks so.  _ “Date,”  _ she had said.  _ “Next time is a date, because you owe me for breaking the church.” _

        He wasn’t sure how that made a difference, since it wasn’t her church, but honestly he didn’t care. Aerith was beautiful and he was damn lucky.

**~~~~~~~~~~Zack~~~~~~~~~~**

        That was how he found himself in his current position, staring in mild confusion at the site in front of him. He’d made his way up plate, in a wonderful mood on the way back, and decided to grab a chocolate cake for the apartment. Kunsel had said they were low on food again, and with a SOLDIER metabolism it didn’t matter much  _ what _ they ate so long as they ate enough, or all the time. Might as well make it taste good. It was upon entering the bakery he saw the flash of auburn hair and the unmistakable head of soft chocobo hair. Sitting in the back of the building, munching on different types of baked goods, were Genesis and Spiky, whose real name he still wanted to know.

**~~~~~~~~~~Tseng~~~~~~~~~~**

        This morning couldn’t have been nicer. Legend was watching Aerith for the day, Reno was in the office, and Tseng had the day to himself unless an emergency came up, so he’d planned to spend the day out on plate with Cloud searching for items for his room in the apartment. 

        Genesis of course, had shown up for breakfast and spent time laughing over the flurry of the Red Leather and StormClub chats with Cloud and had insisted, upon learning of the plans for the day, that he be allowed to accompany them. So the trio had visited the local stores for wall paint, shelving, a mirror, anything they could think of that might go in a room. In the end they hadn’t purchased much in the way of decoration, but having told Cloud he was allowed a basic laptop for research purposes they’d spent quite some time in tech stores. There had been a debate about allowing him to custom build his own, but the President had already spoken to Tseng about the limits. They couldn’t control what Cloud  _ did _ with technology as they had no way of stopping him, so they had to control what technology he was allowed to get his hands on. Which meant no custom tech, and still being supervised when he used it. Tseng was willing to consider being in the same room as supervision now though, as he believed they didn’t need to watch voer Cloud’s shoulder all the time. That aside, Cloud had enjoyed wandering from store to store, fawning over massive solid state drive capacities and some fancy newly released core processing chip, as well as something about a certain brand’s dedicated graphics card for gaming, and all of it went straight over Tseng’s head. He hadn’t understood half of what the blond was mumbling, or writing down as spec requirements to give to store clerks. Even some of the clerks hadn’t understood, based on their poorly masked confusion. 

        Whatever the teen had ended up with, he seemed thoroughly happy with himself if slightly annoyed at not being able to carry it out of the store with him. On principle, Tseng deemed it wise to have everything shipped to headquarters and picked up at one of the front desks rather than carry everything around in bags for people to see. It was amazing enough that only a few people had recognised Genesis while he stuttered in shock at the fact Cloud was able to afford everything, and while Cloud hadn’t bought  _ much _ , what he  _ did _ buy was rather expensive. Expensive would draw attention they didn’t need.

        So the morning couldn’t have gone any better, he thought, as they sat down in the back of a bakery for a light snack. Cloud was currently eating a red velvet cupcake, though he’d scraped the frosting off and given it to Rhapsodos. The teen’s healthy eating habits  _ did _ apparently have a limit, as his eyes had locked onto it in the window as they passed and the SOLDIER had taken note, saying he needed to eat anyway, that they should stop for bite. Watching as Rhapsodos pasted the extra frosting onto his own lemon cake slice, he settled into the cushion a bit more, shifting to keep most of the room visible.

        He’d even gotten himself a cup of tea, which was rare enough. He rarely ate or drank in public inside Midgar, as a precaution. Too many people could recognise him and spike it with something, and while he’d built up immunities to most poisons he’d rather not take the risk. Today though, he let it slide. The thought was still lingering in the back of his mind, but he wasn’t in uniform, and his hair was in a loose bun instead of it’s usual tight ponytail. The likelihood someone would recognise him was a very low probability. Except, of course, he hadn’t taken into consideration that someone would waltz right up to their table. 

**~~~~~~~~~~Zack~~~~~~~~~~**

        “So this is where you disappear to every Saturday!” he grinned as Genesis jerked his head up to lock eyes with the blond. There was a flash of, what, annoyance, maybe disappointment that crossed the auburn’s face momentarily before disappearing behind his usual haughty mask. “Aww c’mon don’t give me that look, ‘Geal’s been dying to know what’s eating up your time. Guess this is why you’re listed as on security blackout all the time. How long has this been going on? Because, uh, he’s a little young for you Gen.” 

        Spiky tipped his head at an angle to look at him, still munching on part of a cupcake, and someone nearby cleared their throat. It was then that he realised they weren’t alone. In fact, the third person’s Wutaian features looked oddly familiar, but the only Wutaian he knew on a personal level was… “Holy shit, Tseng?! I didn’t even notice you!”

        “Lower your  _ voice _ Pup,” Genesis finally spoke up, though Tseng followed shortly after with a warning of his own.

        “Angeal will not hear of this, Fair. Security blackout has a purpose,” the Wutaian stared at him.

        Looking between the two, Zack decided to push Genesis further into the booth and take the seat next to him. Spike was sitting at Tseng’s side, and he wasn’t sure how friendly the head Turk was feeling at this particular moment. Squishing three people into one side of the booth didn’t sound like a good idea.

**~~~~~~~~~~Cloud~~~~~~~~~~**

        As Gen slipped into a conversation with Fair and explained what they were doing out here today, he finished his cupcake and washed it down with a sip of water. Tseng, as expected, took a minute to realise Cloud was drinking from  _ his _ water bottle and calmly snatched it back once he finished drinking. He delighted in the fact that the Wutaian hadn’t noticed when he lifted it from the clip on his waist, and silently thanked Reno for his sleight of hand lessons. That tiny twitch in Tseng’s left eyelid was so worth.

        In a while they’d finished eating and drinking everything, and made to move on. They’d been heading back to the tower before they stopped here, actually, but with the addition of the Lieutenant it seemed they wouldn’t be returning just yet. When the conversation was turned in his direction again, he kept to nods and hums in response. He just wasn’t quite comfortable around Fair yet, it was hard to be when the guy didn’t even know who he really was. He  _ did  _ note though, that without his realising it he’d begun to respond when the First called him Spiky. And when that SOLDIER First asked him if he played video games, Cloud finally felt he might be able to tolerate the other, if not actually get along. Without delay he was whisked off to the nearest game store and was pointing out which games he’d played before as Fair spewed titles of ones he had in his apartment. It reminded Cloud that, despite his current technological restrictions, Tseng would probably allow him to have a game system in their apartment as long as he promised not to take it apart or use it for something he shouldn’t. Actually, he wouldn’t have an issue if they simply didn’t connect it to the internet. He never played online games anyway, and if he wanted someone to play with Tifa had always been willing to sneak in through his window so the town didn’t see them together. They hadn’t done it often but it was fun, and if he wanted someone to play with here in Midgar… Cloud turned to look at the Lieutenant. 

        The other Firsts knew most of the information about him now, based on what Gen said they had pieced together. They didn’t know about him and Hojo, and they didn’t know he was St0rmCl0ud, but otherwise he couldn’t see an issue with spending time with Fair. Angeal was too concerned over his small stature and the bullying issues, even if they knew he had a Turk contract, and Ser-  _ Sephiroth, _ he corrected, was a hazard to his health, but the Lieutenant was alright. Gesturing for the older teen to stay put, Cloud drifted back towards Tseng and Genesis in the front of the store.

        “Gaming system?” he asked as he approached. Genesis was holding a game in each hand, comparing them. Tseng had his back against the nearest wall and one leg crossed over the other. At the question he closed his eyes for a moment, seemingly thinking it over.  The auburn First however, turned to hold the two games up with a devious light in his eyes.

        “I hadn’t heard they made games about us.” Genesis smiled. Upon closer inspection, both disk cases had cover art featuring the auburn, though one of the titles was less than publicly appropriate. Cloud gave him a skeptical look, silently asking if Gen really intended to play that one. The auburn laughed and placed both games back on the rack, waving a hand at the selection in front of him. Every game on that section of shelving featured drawings and cover art of him and his face. To the left were games involving Sephiroth, to the right were Angeal’s. Farther down Cloud could see shelves with two or all three of them on the covers. He wondered if any of them had a decent plot. Shaking his head with a soft snort, he turned back to Tseng. The man had pushed off of the wall and was taking a breath, glancing about the store and probably counting how many heads were in it. Eventually though, he directed his attention back to Cloud and nodded once. That was good enough.

        “Help me decide.” He said to Genesis, and off they went to look at the gaming platforms available. Genesis was unhelpful in deciding which system to buy, so they’d taken a look at the available games first and decided, at last, to get two platforms. Shiva knows he could afford it, which once again made the auburn curios as to just how much money he had. Though it took quite a bit of prompting, he eventually admitted how much he made in one hack, which clearly sent Genesis mentally reeling backwards. Based on Reno’s paycheck which he’d taken a peek at, he had made in one day what the redhead made in two months.

        Aside from that, they picked out games that looked interesting, and a few about each of the SOLDIER Firsts just for laughs, and Gen had agreed with his decision on who to game with. Zack isn’t bad, he’d said, just an overeager puppy not used to people disliking him. Cloud told him exactly what he’d say before confirming a friendship with the youngest First class, but that he was willing to try. He hadn’t had many friends in Nibelheim, he was too different from everyone else. But here, in Midgar, everyone was different. Here it didn’t matter as much.

        “The pair of you would get along splendidly if not for the whole covert identity issue,” Genesis finished the conversation.

        By the time Fair found him again, the two game systems with two controllers for each, and a large number of games, were all sitting at the register. He’d already payed for them and Tseng was working on getting them mailed to the tower while the girl behind the counter joked about SOLDIERs loving their games too much. Fair feigned injury and clasped a hand to his chest, and then took stock of the goods on the counter.

        “GEN!” the Lieutenant turned sharply and pointed a finger at the other First. The whole thing seemed overly dramatic, but he suspected it was done on purpose. As far as he had observed, that’s just how Fair was. Excited, energized, and overly emotional. Dramatic. “I can’t  _ believe _ you, you backstabber! Buying him all this stuff, I already called dibbs, he’s MY buddy!” the younger First stepped between them. He was clearly joking, and Genesis was clearly amused, but the claim of ownership was still disturbing. He was willing to try, but he couldn’t let that bit slide. So as Fair turned to ruffle his hair, he grabbed the arm and twisted before flipping the older teen over him to slam against the floor. Tseng blinked at him.

        “Zackary Fair,” Genesis began, leaving out the SOLDIER and Lieutenant titles for the sake of not drawing more attention than Cloud already had, “I am certain he has to  _ accept _ an offer of friendship before it is official, which he indicated he is willing to do, but if you ever ambush, pounce on, ruffle his hair, touch, or even breath on his person without his  _ explicit _ permission I will tell Red Leather I am mad at you and make your life a living hell and  _ remember  _ how many members there are.”

        Fair still sat on the floor and was shocked for the moment, blanching at the threat. When he turned to look, Cloud nodded at him. Gen had practically repeated what he’d said earlier in regards to accepting the Lieutenant’s friendship, though the auburn had said it in far more words. In a few seconds more, Fair was standing again, whining as usual in a lighthearted tone. An odd way to start a friendship, but he seemed to accept it. Just like that. Sometimes the older teen’s simplicity could be a blessing, he thought.

        “On that note, I’ve been a First for like, a year, and I  _ still _ don’t have a fanclub. How is that fair, huh? How? When Spiky makes First he’ll probably have one in no time!”

        “ _ If…  _ Zack.” Cloud tested the name out.  _ If, I make First,  _ he silently added. Fair seemed to understand what he meant and shot a dark look at Tseng, who shrugged one shoulder in return.

        “Why don’t we head back to the apartment to get your room finished, the Wutaian jerked his head towards the door. “Fair, join if you want.”

**~~~~~~~~~~Zack~~~~~~~~~~**

        He was finally Spiky’s friend. Zack couldn’t help but be excited about it, but he wasn’t stupid. The blond clearly had issues connecting, or maybe it was trusting, other people so it would take some time to break down that shell. But the hints of personality he’d gotten so far, they’d get along great. There were still so many questions to be answered though, so at last he left the blond’s room and followed Tseng out to the kitchen. 

        When they’d arrived in Tseng’s apartment, they’d all marched into Spiky’s room. The items the blond had ordered were still being delivered to the tower, but the sky blue paint had already arrived. Genesis had immediately opened a can and gotten to work, for once not worried about getting his clothes dirty. The blond had followed suit and before long he felt out of place. The pair of them seemed to have some understanding without talking much, and Tseng was always like that, so he was grateful for the moment the Wutaian left to brew tea. Now he had other things to think about, and one in particular he wanted to see and learn for himself. “I want to see the files you showed Seph,” he said, stepping into the kitchen behind the Wutaian.

**~~~~~~~~~~Gen~~~~~~~~~~**

        “So now we’ve a moment alone, what should we name Zack’s fanclub?” Genesis asked. Cloud was working on the wall opposite him and neither bothered to turn around. The little  _ huff _ of amusement he heard made him smile though. Cloud had come a long way in less than three months, when it came to expressing his thoughts and emotions. Those little facial muscles were starting to develop enough Cloud was smirking and grinning more often. The more he could make that happen, the better he felt. It made him… content, to see and hear that. He wanted to hear Cloud laugh again, like he had at the pool. “Pup Club, perhaps?” He offered, turning with the paint roller in his hand. Incidentally the turn was too fast and he sent a glob of paint flying at Cloud. It hit the center of his back, and he stiffened, turning and flinging his own glob of paint back at Genesis.

        “Paw Pound.”

        “Be nice now, you’ve just agreed to be his friend,” he wiggled a finger at the blond, “Paw Pals?”

        “Tail Waggers.” Cloud’s face was serious.

        “Paw Pals.”

        “Woof Pack.”

        “Proud Pups, you’re not taking this seriously enough, the name will be permanent!” he sent another blob of paint flying.

        “Puppy Drool Pool,” Cloud blocked it with his own paint roller.

        He couldn’t stifle the laugh that escaped. “Ahaaaha, that’s a good one. No. Angel’s Pups?”

        “Angeal’s Pups….”

        “Goddess no, Angeal would hate it. Running Paws?” That sparked a snort from Cloud.

        “Squatting, not running,” the blond went back to moving the paint roller against the wall. A few seconds later, he muttered a name.

        “Actually,” Genesis thought for a moment, “That’s perfect. Silver Elite, Red Leather, Keepers of Honour, and  _ Raven Paws _ ,” he turned back to the wall, humming for a while. “I’ll have Red Leather spread the word.”

**~~~~~~~~~~Tseng~~~~~~~~~~**

        After a call from Angeal, wondering where he was, Fair had left in a rush. Genesis similarly departed after an offer of a spar from Sephiroth. And finally the place was silent again. Cloud was drinking the tea that appeared in the cupboard recently, nestled into the sofa with a fleece blanket wrapped around him like a cocoon. Tseng himself was seated on the back of the couch, feet resting on the floor, watching as the blond’s breathing slowed. 

        Less than three months, and somehow despite not knowing much about each other, Cloud had become comfortable in his presence. He himself had become… more than accustomed, to the teen’s presence. It worried him, how fast Cloud had adjusted, how fast  _ he _ had adjusted. But he found that surprisingly, he didn’t care.

        It was close to eleven when he decided to wake Cloud, or carry him to his room. The blond wasn’t quite sleeping deeply enough for the latter, waking as Tseng dropped a throw pillow on him. Instead of sleepily drifting towards his room however, Cloud’s eyes latched onto the laptop sitting on the coffee table where he’d set the box when it was delivered, and up Cloud sat to start unpacking it. 

        Sighing, Tseng pulled out his own laptop and sat at the other end of the couch, one leg tucked under him and the other stretched out onto the middle couch cushion, an almost mirror position to Cloud’s, and settled in for a long night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **A/N:** Been a while since we heard from Nibelheim so that’s where next chap starts. :)


	30. More Important Things Than Crackers And Tea

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two years. Cloud was furious. Two years he had been applying to join SHINRA’s army, every time a recruiter came to Nibelheim.  
> Over the weekend the Turks experience a security breach, and a week later Turk headquarters are disrupted by the laughter of a noisy redhead, after having found a video posted by one of the most notorious hackers on the darknet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **A/N:** Unfocused chapter, kinda short. For some reason it was really hard to write. :(
> 
>  **Disclaimer:** I own nothing but the plot, and my writing style.

        Fumbling for the bedside clock, she swore at the blinking numbers. Sitting up at the edge of her bed, Ayira slipped her feet into the slippers on the floor and blearily made her way downstairs. Vincent and Nykulos was nowhere to be seen, probably out hunting in the dead of night again. She’d told the ex-Turk it wasn’t necessary, but suspected it was more of a way to pass the time when no one would bother him. The townsfolk didn’t seem to notice, other than the record low monster count and rapidly decreasing population of wild rabbits. And of course the _“strange Strife woman”_ having extra meat.

        Finally stumbling towards the phone, she took a deep breath and prepared to give whoever this was a right piece of her mind before picking it up. It wasn’t even six yet. No one in the town was usually awake this early, so why was the phone ringing?

        “Betta be a bloody good reason for this. And if this’s long distance I’m not footin’ the bill,” she waited for a response. There was silence on the other end, or near silence. She could hear light breathing.

_“Mum.”_

**~~~~~~~~~~Ayira~~~~~~~~~~**

        Suddenly more awake, Ayira walked around the house and turned the lights. No doubt the neighbors would think she was casting spells or curses or some such nonsense, being up with the lights on at this hour, but Vincent would see them and hopefully start making his way back. Gut feeling told her little RainCloud wasn’t calling for her, but she still had time to chew him out for contacting her sooner.

        “Cloud Strife you little shit. Not even _one_ letter? Not even a _phone call?_! Three months boy! It take’d ya three months to remember yer mum. Raised you better’n that,” there was silence again, though she could feel the apology coming through the phone. “Damn straight! Been worried ‘bout ya runt-”

_“Viva?”_

        “Hunting and don’t interrupt me! Expectin’ ya ta talk to me once a week from now on, wanna know what’s goin’ on with my baby boy,” she could hear the quiet groan, “and Tif’s been askin’ fer an address to write. She’s the age now an’ the boys ain’t leavin’ her alone. Wants someone’a talk with that ain’t offerin’ a ring,” she finished, hearing Cloud hum on the other end of the line.

        Hearing a noise not from the phone, she looked up to see a pair of glowing red eyes and the ball of fluff that had taken to following Vincent around both standing in the doorway. “Alright little RainCloud, he’s back. But I’m not done with ya yet. I wanna hear how Rindan is doing next time ya call,” she waved Vincent closer and handed him the phone. When she wandered upstairs to find the wolf resting on Cloud’s bed he whined at her, and she moved to scrub behind his ears.

        As shocked as she had been so many years ago, when her seven year old son came home riding an adult Nibel Wolf, the beast had grown on her. The ex-Turk had too, but she’d known him since the day her baby boy was born.

**~~~~~~~~~~Vincent~~~~~~~~~~**

        As Ayira drifted upstairs, Vincent lifted the house phone to his ear. He’d overheard the end of their conversation and knew Cloud was on the other end. Chaos was delighted and prodding at the back of his mind. The demon was going stir crazy, bored out of their shared minds, in the tiny town. _The little blond_ as it called Cloud, had always been a relief from that boredom. Vincent hummed into the phone to let Cloud know he was listening.

 _"Viva…. Bank account,”_ the blond offered. That wasn’t much to go on. There were any number of things that could mean. At least from the subtle tones of excitement in Cloud’s voice, it at least wasn’t anything bad.

        “I cannot read minds Cloud.”

_“Yours. Still being payed.”_

        Were he not a former Turk, he might have let out a strangled noise in surprise. It had been… Gaia, it had been twenty years and his Turk deposit account was still active. Still _payed!_ He’d been second in command!

        He’d never had much need of money. Rarely spent his paycheck when he was active. Honestly Veld had bought most of his food just to make sure he ate. Were he still mortal it might have meant more to have so much money now, but damn did it feel good nonetheless. He no longer had the plastic card linked to it, or anything to spend much of it on though. Cloud’s exploits had taken care of the house, of his mother, for the rest of her life. He supposed he could fix the mansion up, but it wasn’t in any horrible state. Just dusty. And if he cleaned it up the people of Nibelheim would regain interest or report it to SHINRA.

        “I am a billionaire,” he responded after moments of thought, “With no use for gill,” he could hear the blond stifling a chuckle.

**~~~~~~~~~~Vincent~~~~~~~~~~**

        An hour or more later, he had hung up the phone. Having given the blond permission to use his account for Turk related expenses, they moved on to other topics and the latest news. Cloud was speaking more, enough for it to be quite noticeable. That was good. Hearing that the Turks had all but adopted him was equally satisfying. They always were a tight knit group. Veld apparently had disappeared in search of his daughter and left the group to a recruit from after Vincent himself disappeared. He hadn’t had the chance, or rather hadn’t taken the risk, of meeting Tseng when they took the blond.

        Cloud spoke highly of a SOLDIER First Class as well, Genesis Rhapsodos. Said he felt understood better than usual. Not as well as Vincent could understand him, but the first friend the boy had made in Midgar outside of the Turks. Then there were the fanclubs, lots of news about those. The mention of gift warehouses was new, he hadn’t been aware Cloud set those up, but it ultimately wasn’t surprising. He’d been given permission to use any of them as housing should he want to travel a bit, but for the moment the ex-Turk was content to stay with Ayira.

        Towards the end of the conversation Cloud had admitted to spending a bit of the gil last night, though wouldn’t say what on. Vincent had sat on top of the water tower, awaiting the package delivery until a passing SHINRA helicopter came low enough to drop a box in the center of town. For the most part the town ignored his existence as some extension of the Strife family, but the delivery drew attention now. SHINRA wasn’t active here, rarely came to check on the reactor though the mayor had sent several requests in. Vincent had done his best to control the mako-crazed monster population, but he couldn’t fix the spot it was leaking from, where it was dripping into the local streams and creeks. He knew this wasn’t the only town with problems, and all of it was getting worse, upsetting Mother Gaia. The planet was most certainly _not_ happy.

        Dropping off the end of the ladder and onto the ground, he made his way towards the delivery, the small crowd parting for him. Ignoring them all, except for offering a short wave at the Lockhart girl, and he hefted the package onto his shoulder, striding towards Ayira’s doorstep.

        Whispers and gestures, girls and their gossip followed in his wake, always the same in the small town. He’d made it inside, up to Cloud’s room, and down into the crawlspace beneath it where he preferred to stay, before opening the package, immediately letting a smile slip up behind the collar of his cloak. That one he couldn’t help, letting it grow as he pulled the first package of crackers out and ripped it open.

 **_More important things than tea and crackers, Host._ ** Chaos interrupted a minute later as Vincent made his way out and down to the kitchen for tea to dip them in. He hadn’t had these since Cloud left because the blond had been importing them from some _other_ small town in the middle of nowhere. He simply hadn’t wanted to bother Ayira with mailing costs, or spend money on unnecessary items.

 _Go back to sleep and leave me be,_ he directed his thoughts back towards the demon, ignoring any response.

        He shouldn’t have though, he really ought to have listened, because he might have seen it coming early enough to stop it.

**~~~~~~~~~~Chaos~~~~~~~~~~**

        While Host’s guard was down thanks to the little blond’s cracker package, he’d taken the opportunity to take over the ex-Turk’s body. Host was doing his best to come back to the surface, but that wasn’t about to happen. Not until Chaos finished his business.

        As hard as Host tried to ignore the speculation and suggestions of the townsfolk, Chaos and the others could not. Gigas and Hellmasker had only grumbled about it and gone back to their corners, but Galian had started growling and wouldn’t shut up, and Chaos was admittedly angered by what had been said about Gaia’s little Light. He would not forget those unkind words. The little blond was delightfully amusing, and he’d grown very fond of him. So recalling Mayor Lockhart’s joke that Cloud’s ashes had finally been sent home, Chaos set out into the woods.

**~~~~~~~~~~Tseng~~~~~~~~~~**

        A long distance away, Tseng stood in the entrance to his apartment after returning from a surprise assignment. He was balanced precariously on one foot, in the middle of pulling a shoe off. For close to a minute he’d been holding this position, staring blankly at the small blond blocking his path to the rest of the apartment. In his hand was the case to a videogame, and on his face was that small smirk Tseng often found so infuriating.

        Tseng blinked at that dangerous sparkle in Cloud’s eyes as the teen waved the game case. “Never imagined he was your type,” the blond set the case on the counter and returned to his room. Resisting the urge to groan, resisting the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose in frustration simply because his training wouldn’t allow it, Tseng continued pulling his shoe off and proceeded with the second one.

        In retrospect, he knew he shouldn’t have gotten it the moment he saw it the game store yesterday. He rarely had time to spend on games to begin with, yet he had slipped it into a suit pocket and walked out with it, not even bothering to pay. No sense in Reno or Cissnei finding a receipt anywhere. In Tseng’s defense though, he wanted a private way to unwind. Being Turk Commander wasn’t easy, and security protocols limited sexual interactions to fellow SHINRA employees because of what Turks know, and what others could do with that information. That is to say, sleeping with anyone outside of the company was a high risk, and sleeping with anyone _in_ the company inevitably leads to emotional complications. He didn’t need more of those, so he’d taken the game. He shouldn’t have left it where Cloud might find it though, or kept it in the apartment at all really. And he’d so carelessly done just that. He only hoped the blond hadn’t tried to play it.

        Because _Handyman Hewley_ was **_not_ ** an innocent game.

**~~~~~~~~~~X~~~~~~~~~~**

        The following morning, Monday, a terrified scream erupted from the Lockhart residence. The news spread quickly and was soon the talk of the town, that a severed dragon head was found in the Mayor’s bed, sheets bloodied and the mayor himself coated in it as well. Having heard the news at the bakery, Ayira hustled home, Ayira whacked Vincent on the back of the head without delay and gave a disapproving stare. He could have dodged the hit, she was well aware, but the fact that he hadn’t, and the way he stuffed as much of his face below the red collar of his cloak as he could was enough to let her know she’d been right.

        “You know you hit _me,_ not Chaos when you do that.” Vincent muttered softly. She whacked him again and wandered off into the kitchen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **A/N:** Struggled with this because want to introduce eventual Angeal/Tseng but… Tseng’s a Turk. He’s supposed to be professional. Arrrgggghhh. DX


	31. Weeding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two years. Cloud was furious. Two years he had been applying to join SHINRA’s army, every time a recruiter came to Nibelheim.  
>  Over the weekend the Turks experience a security breach, and a week later Turk headquarters are disrupted by the laughter of a noisy redhead, after having found a video posted by one of the most notorious hackers on the darknet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **A/N:** Sorry for the late update yo. First week of classes was craaaazy.
> 
> **Disclaimer:** I own nothing but the plot, and my writing style.

        After running around the Cadet floors for two days and  _ not _ having one-on-one sessions to soak up time, Cloud had decided that most of the cadets were assholes. Sephiroth had given Tseng the request that he still refrain from fighting back. This was the last week he’d be undercover though, so he’d thought it wouldn’t be too bad. At least, no worse than the past three months had been. He was still receiving the almost daily beating, watching the overlapping bruises form, and he could deal with that. 

        What he  _ couldn’t  _ deal with was the almost constant itch in the back of his mind, the feeling that someone was watching him. Even though he knew who it was, having Sero following him around was increasingly frustrating, not to mention the constant dull headache. Anytime the General got significantly closer, or passed him in the hall, it got progressively worse and stayed that way. He could only be thankful for the Turk corridors stuffed between the walls that allowed him an escape at the end of the day, a safe passage up to the Turk floors to start his work there. He was headed there now, and only stopped momentarily, long enough to swear at his reversion to calling the General the nickname from Nibelheim. Making his way up to the necessary floors and sliding into place next to Reno, he pulled a keyboard down into his lap and started. 

        For the majority of this week, both he and the redheaded Turk had been assigned to monitor the progress of a known eco-terrorist group and all of their online communications. It had gone from small town protests by individual factions to assembling in a cohesive organisation homed in Midgar, which was suspicious to say the least. Someone had to be supporting them, maybe giving orders from the shadows, so he and Reno were looking for any traces of said beneficiary or what the next plans were. Rod, Gun, and Knife were underplate doing recon trying to locate the main base of operations.

**~~~~~~~~~~Cloud~~~~~~~~~~**

        They’d been at it for several hours now when Legend wandered in with the garment bags, four or five hangers worth. Reno sat up immediately and declared it time for a break.

        “Yo blondie, lemme help you with your new suit,” the redhead grinned at him. Cloud suddenly suspected he should  _ not _ let Reno help, but it was too late. The hangers and bags were pushed into his arms and Reno was pushing him into the closest spare office and locking the door.

**~~~~~~~~~~Elena~~~~~~~~~~**

        Finally, after five months on blackout, she was back in Midgar. As much as she hated the place for its corrupt politics, perpetual mako contaminated smog, and the violent reactions the public had when they found out she was a Turk… It was still far better than freezing her ass off at Icicle Inn where AVALANCHE was rumored to have started. So as odd as the feeling was, Elena was glad to be returning home. She expected to debrief with Tseng in a few hours, maybe chat with Cissnei, and then go up to her quiet,  _ warm _ , apartment and bury herself in a comforter on the couch. What she did  _ not _ expect, was to sit down to write the paper report at her desk and have no room for her legs once she pulled the chair in. Shoving off of the desk so the wheeled chair rolled back a few paces, she crouched down to take a look.

        Tucked in the corner, wrapped in a dark brown fleece blanket, was a yellow something. The spikes sticking out of the top looked almost feathery, definitely soft to the touch. They were trembling though, the entire mass was trembling, so she started reaching a hand out to comfort the thing. If she had to guess, it looked an awful lot like-

        “Elena. Why are you under your desk?” Tseng asked from behind her, and she immediately tried to sit up, only to slam her head into the bottom of a drawer and swear in… It came out as a mix of languages. She’d been having trouble keeping them apart lately. Ducking out from under her desk with a hand on what would surely be a large bump by morning, she turned to face him.

        “Because there’s a baby chocobo under my desk. Tseng,  _ why _ is there a baby chocobo under my desk?” she tilted her head to the side and rubbed the sore spot. Tseng blinked, but otherwise his face didn’t change. It was at this point that Reno stuck his head out of his office, smiling like a loon.

        “So that’s where he went!” the redhead began, ambling towards them. The blob under her desk darted out to shield itself behind Tseng and muttering a quiet  _ “Stay away!”  _ It took her a second or two to really piece things together. It muttered. Words. It could speak. It was human? Turning to block Reno’s path she muttered a few more curses before addressing him.

        “Reno, tell me you didn’t kidnap some poor kid! You  _ know _ that’s not how we recruit!” The seemed to either not hear or proceeded to ignore her, and made an attempt at getting around her and Tseng to get at the kid. Still wrapped in the blanket, she was both surprised and glad to see that whoever it was still had the mobility to keep the Turk Commander between them. She turned to Tseng. “Sir, did you know about this?!”

        Tseng nodded and gestured for Reno to stay back, pulling the blond out to his side. “Elena, our newest member.” The blanket was lowered a bit, and she could see a face, stunning blue eyes. He couldn’t be more than twelve, but he was currently leveling a steel glare at Reno. “Cloud Strife, of Nibelheim. Have Reno catch you up, I have a meeting with Rufus to attend to.”

        “Bad Fox.” Cloud said aloud as Tseng walked away. Still keeping Elena between himself and Reno, he wrapped the blanket tighter around himself.

        “Aww, c’mon blondie! Just lemme see it!” the redhead started forward, and the female Turk once again moved to intercept. 

        Glaring at the ceiling for a few moments before taking a deep breath, Elena suspected there was far more reason for the kid, for Cloud, to be there than she might have thought. “Reno. Brief me.”

**~~~~~~~~~~Reno~~~~~~~~~~**

        Cloud had gotten the soft gray pants, white shirt, and light blue tie on when he made the mistake. He’d never admit it of course, but somewhere in the back of his head Reno knew it hadn’t been a good idea. But kid was lookin damn fine in his uniform, and when he turned away so Reno could help him get the jacket on, he didn’t hold the jacket up. He grabbed the blond’s ass. Call it lack of judgement but they were only two years apart. It could totally work if Cloud swung that way. Anyways, it hadn’t been a good idea since the blond startled, spun around with a kick to the chest with enough force to slam him into the wall, and bolted for the door. 

        So here he was half an hour after Elena showed up. They’d gone over the hacking, the cadet cover, the weirdness with Professor Creep-show, the whole lot of it. And ‘Lena couldn’t keep the shock, amusement, and amazement off of her face. Reno found himself stretching with a yawn while Cloud continued mouthed curses at him, and offered to take him out for dinner as a bribe.

**~~~~~~~~~~Seph~~~~~~~~~~**

        He couldn’t directly confront the blond without reason or it would draw attention. Particularly Hojo’s attention as Zack pointed out, and Sephiroth had other things to deal with and attend to as SOLDIER General. Lazard couldn’t get away with giving him the  _ entire _ week off, so he had the occasional monster clearing mission within the city limits, but those never took long.

        So Sephiroth had the entire week to observe the blond, and significantly more information to go on. So that’s what he’d been doing. Blond, short, low physical stats, fourteen years old. From Nibelheim,  _ frozen town in the middle of nowhere, _ raised by a single mother, no mention of a father. The boy was living with Tseng on the Turk floors under the pretense of protection from fellow cadets, though he wasn’t an actual cadet. So they’ve got a fourteen year old Turk getting custom weapons from Octina, which he noted was likely the origin of  _ most _ Turk weapons, who also had a medical issue requiring Hojo’s direct attention, and his real name and identity was still being withheld, though Sephiroth wasn’t sure what for. It made him all the more curious why they weren’t telling him. And anyone with a connection to Hojo had problems he wanted to hear about.

        That aside, this week the blond was playing bait. Whether or not Tseng had told the boy exactly what was going on or not Sephiroth wasn’t sure, but he wouldn’t pass up the opportunity to weed out a few delinquents. As the General he couldn’t allow the kind of behavior Tseng’s files indicated, those fools would injure people when they got their SOLDIER Third enhancements and half of them would  _ enjoy  _ it. That kind of person, those personalities, had long left a foul taste in his mouth since the first day he was enrolled in the SOLDIER program ten years ago, so he’d made it his personal task to rid the program of those individuals. It also provided him a chance to really take a look at why the Turks recruited him, what they  _ saw _ in such a small figure, and what made this teen so special.

        Much like Zack had said, as soon as classes were out the slim figure disappeared. Actually he had permission to disappear a few minutes early via the Turk corridors and had been able to lose Sephiroth very quickly when he attempted to follow, because the General didn’t have access and would rather not alarm anyone by slashing down all the secret doors. How those hallways weren’t shown on the Tower blueprints he couldn’t fathom. Had the building been  _ built _ with them or was it a later modification? Not a single document or file he’d ever found even hinted at their existence, yet he now believed they undoubtedly ranged from floor 1 to 70. And so few knew they were there. It was no wonder the Turks had such extensive files on everyone, they were literally the whispers in the walls.

        Anyhow, supporting what Angeal, Zack, and Tseng had said as well as the photographic evidence he’d seen in the Turk Commander’s apartment, the blond was being severely bullied by his peers. It was extremely likely, based on the size of Tseng’s files, that the outlandish looking teen was taking on the brunt of the abuse amongst the cadets. There had been a few minor Cadet scuffles since his return from Wutai, but most of them weren’t report worthy. Punches and bruises weren’t worth bothering with, but this extended beyond that and  _ clearly  _ he’d only been seeing reports of the  _ reported _ incidents. So beginning monday he’d donned a SOLDIER Third outfit he occasionally used for having a bit of fun, _ or avoiding paperwork, _ and began patrolling the halls and eavesdropping on cadet conversations, sitting in on classes or watching from the observation decks. Only the physical classes though. Nothing ever happened in the lectures except the mindless brainwashing of cadet ideas about the company. It disgusted him to hear war veterans rattling on about things they  _ clearly _ did not believe. A few select instructors and other SOLDIER recognised the nameplate on his uniform,  _ Nettick _ , so even if his hair was braided and tucked into the ineffectual helmet, which he made note to have corrected so his SOLDIERs could actually  _ see, _ they still knew who he was.

        As such, it was already Thursday and he had a long list of names of cadets he’d have kicked out of the program once the week was over. Several instances he’d come across cadets ganging up on one another, but he’d stayed back and out of sight to watch how things played out. Despite their smaller stature, many of the targeted cadets held up well and managed to fight back long enough to escape. What he  _ hadn’t  _ seen, despite the amount of time he spent specifically tailing the diminutive blond, was said blond taking a beating. It was clear the tougher, less caring cadets  _ all _ seemed intent on bothering him. He simply showed up with new bruises forming each day, mostly visible on his arms, maybe a split lip. Certainly, his stomach had to look worse but the standard uniform covered that up. Weirdly enough it reminded Sephiroth of his experience as a SOLDIER Third, however brief, but his appearance alone was enough to get him noticed, and not in a good way either. But even as a ten year old he’d been able to defend himself with ease and before long others left him to his own devices, and Angeal and Genesis showed up. Krut also stood out, but he was a twig, and had no one there to stand by his side. And the the attention of training one on one with three SOLDIER First Class couldn’t have helped. He was an obvious target .

        He was an anomaly to apparently everyone around him. Quiet, reserved, short, and he had to admit that Zack was right.  _ He does look an awful lot like a chocobo chick. _ Except for the eyes. Those were not normal, and he couldn’t explain the feeling it stirred. They weren’t inquisitive, they were never scared, just full of steel gazes and indifference. But they weren’t cold. They blond had apparently passed his mako test, though he suspected Hojo might have manufactured the results because they looked significantly mediocre without enough variance in compatibility.

        Something felt off about watching him though. His class scores were boringly average, though Sephiroth suspected that was intentional as a part of being undercover. What closer inspection revealed was that the blond was  _ very _ carefully masking his true skill level, playing it down and not fighting back or arguing at all. And the boy  _ felt his presence. _ Any time he focused too intently on watching him, the blond spikes twitched, or the head turned around to look as instinctually as wolf might do upon hearing a suspicious sound or catching an unfriendly scent. And he would rub his forehead as if in confusion. Or maybe something else. As well as the General was trained in reading others emotions, catching the slightest glimpse of any emotion in the young Turk’s eyes was proving exceedingly difficult. 

        No matter his own subconscious grudge against the blond for his infuriating interaction with Hojo, Sephiroth’s own former legal guardian who’d never shared so much as a comforting pat on the shoulder with him, or the mysterious circumstances regarding his induction into the Turks, or anything else about the blond, Tseng was right in believing that SOLDIER needed no more bulky but brainless individuals within his ranks. He’d been weeding those out for his entire reign as General. And that’s what had led him down to where he was now. Weeding.

        For once, the blond hadn’t bolted out of class early to attend whatever duties he might have as a Turk. Rather, he’d stayed behind to have a conversation with Zack that bordered on friendly. It’d become increasingly friendly whenever those two spoke throughout the week, he’d have to ask the Lieutenant if something changed. So the blond had left after the rest of the cadets had filed out, and wasn’t in a rush. He kept a hand to the side of his head and slowly made his way down back hallways, less known routes, and within a few moments Sephiroth recognised the path as one he often took to visit Hojo for his tests.

        Waiting thirty seconds before rounding a corner the blond had turned at, he was surprised to see the blond still in this section of the hallway. He expected the young Turk knew he was being followed, probably even knew who it was if Tseng had any say, but he hadn’t expected to catch up to the teen so quickly. The circle comprised of a number of larger cadets around the blond tufts cleared the confusion though, and he sped backwards around the corner, edging up to it to peek around and watch. As expected, he was finally witnessing one of the no doubt countless assaults that routinely covered the slighter ‘cadet’ in bruises. Admittedly an odd place for cadets to make an ambush attempt, but effective nonetheless. After waiting for the fight to start so he could officially reprimand and punish the offending cadets, he straightened up, rounded the corner, and locked eyes with those stunning cerulean orbs. The blond had one arm up near his face and one protecting his organs, but made no attempt to fight back. Only kept his eyes locked on the helmet, the Sephiroth caught the brief flinch of pain as a punch landed in the teen’s lower back. Bloody bahamut, had Tseng told him not to fight back at  _ all?! _

        Striding forward and barking orders in as loud a tone as possible, he quickly memorised the names of those beating the blond, cataloging them to be certain all of them were punished. Or expelled, he’d prefer that. They formed a wall in front of the blond,a s if to hide his injuries, but judging from the emotions in their eyes most of them knew they were in for it.

        “All of you, report to Disciplinary immediately,” he said in his harshest tone. The blond on the floor behind them let out a quiet pained gasp, and when one of the larger cadets snickered on the way past him he latched onto the boy’s arm and spun around to face him, faces no more than a few inches apart. They all had no idea who’d caught them in the act, but he knew at this range the boy would be able to see through the helmet visor. Not clearly, but enough to see his eyes. To see his cat slit eyes. Sephiroth let go of the arm, slighting enjoying the thought that it would probably have a bruise in the shape of his hand by morning. Immediately the cadet paled and went nearly frozen still. It seemed he even forgot to breath, and when one of the other cadets came back to shake his shoulder the cadet jumped in surprise but did not turn. Not yet. He ducked his head low, wrapped his arms around himself, and began profusely apologising much to the confusion of his fellow cadet. Deeming the boy appropriately terrified, he gestured with his chin in the direction the rest of the cadets had fled, letting a sadistic smile slip onto his face as the boy muttered a soft  _ “Sir.”  _ with a nod and turned to run out of sight as fast as possible.

        Now all that was left to do was take the blond’s statement, file a report indicating he witnessed the incident, and add more names to his list of people to expel from the program. Turning around and looking to the ground, he startled to find the blond gone. Quickly glancing up he managed to catch the last fleeting glimpse of a feathery blond spike turning the next corner. The next corner leading in the direction of the Professor’s lab.

        Sephiroth took off after him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **A/N:** ONWARDS WITH THE PLOT yo. Next chapter we start!


	32. Do you remember, Cloud, the story your mother used to tell?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary:  
> Two years. Cloud was furious. Two years he had been applying to join SHINRA’s army, every time a recruiter came to Nibelheim.  
>  Over the weekend the Turks experience a security breach, and a week later Turk headquarters are disrupted by the laughter of a noisy redhead, after having found a video posted by one of the most notorious hackers on the darknet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **A/N:** So classes are much harder than anticipated and require more of my attention. Also, job searching. **Will try to keep updating once a week but no guarantees yo.**
> 
> **Disclaimer:** I own nothing but the plot, and my writing style.

        Storming behind the blond, Sephiroth was certain his footsteps had never been louder. For an un-enhanced the teen was certainly making this a challenge. By the time he’d caught sight of the spikes again they were rounding the last corner into Hojo’s lab, followed by what sounded like surprised yelling, followed by a question he couldn’t quite hear, and a string of curses. When Sephiroth himself finally entered, he wasn’t entirely prepared for the large tranquiliser aimed at him, held steadily in the Professor’s hands. A smaller pair of hands were wrapped around the man’s torso, the occasional betrayal of a tremor visibly passing through them.

        It wasn’t  _ unexpected _ , exactly. The pair had already had close, familial contact with one another, and the scientist had tranqed him by surprise a number of times when he lost focus, but this time the gun was held up in protection, in defence of the blond.

**~~~~~~~~~~Seph~~~~~~~~~~**

        “Professor… I need to question that boy regarding an incident in the hallways just now,” he kept his face impassive. As much as the other Firsts insisted his learning of facial expressions was a good thing, there were times it was best not to show them.

        “I’m afraid I can’t let you too close,  _ General.  _ You’ll aggravate his condition,” the words were practically spat at him. He actually caught sight of a few microscopic drops of spittle sent flying. Taking a step closer, he observed as both the professor and the teen behind him stepped back. 

        “This is not the first incident, Hojo. It needs to be dealt with immediately.”

        “Was he at fault, an instigator?” the scientist jerked his chin over his shoulder.

        “No, but-”

        “Then why are you not dealing with what I presume to be his attackers, based on the forming bruises he’s come in with? Why are you not doing your duties as  _ General,  _ hmm? Taking care of these things? I wonder if your efficiency isn’t wearing out.”

        Now that was an outright unnecessarily hostile jab at his productivity. He wondered what it was about the blond that riled the Professor up so much. “As a Turk Recruit, I believed it pertinent to-” he cut off as the door slid open behind him, peripheral vision catching raven spikes.

        “Hey Doc, I’m here for my monthly!” Zack chuckled, “Let’s get it over with yeah? Angeal’s expecting me for…. Training… tomorrow-Okay now I gotta ask, what the hell is going on here? Seph? Spikey?”

        “The General is compromising this boy’s health, Lieutenant Fair. I’f you’d be so kind as to escort him out…” Hojo wasted no time replying, motioning with the tranquiliser. Sephiroth took the opportunity to flick his eyes over to Zack’s, silent communication with an understanding of  _ this is not right.  _ Zack’s eyes hardened and he turned back to the Scientist. He’d told the younger First more than his fair share of horror stories from staying the night in the labs with the Professor.

        “Mmmm, I don’t think so Doc. Actually, I’d like to take Spike out for real food for lunch, why don’t you let him over here,” the SOLDIERs watched as Hojo looked down over his shoulder. Blond spikes shooting out from behind the man’s back rapidly shook left and right.

        “I don’t believe he wants to go with you Lieutenant, and as I said,” Hojo was backing closer to his lab office, “The General is detrimental to his physical state of being. I suggest you leave or I’ll be forced to call security down here.”

        “I cannot leave him in your care, Hojo. There are many things I need him to explain-” Sephiroth tried again, cut off before he could reason with the madman.

        “Then schedule a meeting with the Turks,  _ boy, _ and get out of my lab. The both of you.” With that Hojo turned and quickly shoved the blond into his office, entering behind him and slamming the door. Just as the two SOLDIERs made to follow, he heard the hydraulic locks click into place and watched as the window blinds were lifted and peeked through.

**~~~~~~~~~~Zack~~~~~~~~~~**

        As Hojo’s beady eyes flicked back and forth between them from between the blinds, he turned to Sephiroth. 

        “So, now that Professor Creepy locked himself in the closet, and I don’t think he’ll hurt Spike, what’s really going on here Seph?”

        “I interrupted what you might call a  _ scuffle _ amongst the cadets in the hall just a while ago, and had intended to question him. Not just about the peer abuse, a few other things that have been bothering me. It appeared he was already on his way here, however, and the Professor is intent upon keeping him from me. Or rather keeping me from him.”

        “He what?”

        “He seems to believe my presence is causing the young man distress of some sort. Though he phrased it rather oddly. I am…  _ “detrimental to his physical state of being.”  _ as you heard.”

        “Yeah, okay, that’s a little weird. Really weird actually. Lemme call Reno and see if he knows what’s up-” he ended the sentence abruptly as Sephiroth snatched the PHS from his hands.

        “Calling a Turk will only result in them whisking him away to safety once more. I’d like to actually  _ speak _ with the blond this time.”

        “Alright, so what? We break the door down and run off with him like a rescued princess? I’m not sure Spike’ll appreciate that.”

        “I was thinking more along the lines of thrown over my shoulder like a sack of flour, but that analogy works as well, yes.”

        “Are you- Did you just- y’know what, nevermind. First step ought ta be just calling ‘Geal and Genesis. No sense in getting too wound up about things just yet, or jumping to conclusions.”

        “That is a remarkably mature idea coming from you Zack,” the General said as he offered the device back and pulled out his own PHS. Before either of them could begin to pull up a contact though, they heard a whimper, followed by a fist slamming into a wall. Or rather, into the biochemical lockdown button inside Hojo’s office. And Zack smelled the gas. It took effect too quickly to do much about it though, and he could only confuse his thoughts as the edges of his vision darkened, eventually consuming his entire sight as he crashed to the floor. A vague awareness of the General slipping to the ground beside him was the last thing he noted before slipping into an unconscious state.

**~~~~~~~~~~Hojo~~~~~~~~~~**

        As soon as the gas was released, he made a call to the head of lab security, followed by a shorter one to the head Turk, and waited for them to arrive.

        The close proximity to Sephiroth had triggered low level bonding of Cloud’s anjemako, though he’d stabilised now. If Sephiroth wasn’t conscious the obsession of Earth’s demonako couldn’t recognise it’s counterpart’s presence, but it still left the blond with a residual pain as his body recovered from trying to merge half of itself to the other half. He’d have to explain the whole of the issue now, it simply wasn’t safe to leave him inaccurately informed.

        Much as he expected, the Turks showed up first. Tseng, Legend, and another one he didn’t recognise. Female, blond hair. He’d made an effort to know the Turk names and faces for Cloud’s sake, so he’d look her profile up in the database some other time. The gas had been vented out already, so they entered with the usual caution before quickly making their way to his office to disengage the locks. Once assured Cloud was only dazed and covered in a light sweat, two of them took their leave. Tseng stayed behind if only to make certain things didn’t get out of hand.

        When security showed up, he instructed them to strap Sephiroth to one of the exam tables in a side room and attach a few monitors, and sent one of them to Hewley’s apartment carrying his apprentice. The boy would likely be unconscious for a day at least, since that formula was made specifically to knock someone with Sephiroth’s level of mako out. With Fair showing up he wouldn’t have had time to use the tranquiliser gun, so the gas had been the only alternative when Cloud’s condition worsened in the office. He sent a page of instructions on how to help Fair recover as well, assuring that he wasn’t otherwise harmed. He’d have to reschedule the missed mako injection though.

        When all was done and taken care of, he sent lab security on their way and asked Tseng to join him in the main examination room with Cloud as he checked the blond’s vitals repeatedly and pulled a few vials of blood. And when the Turk asked his question, and Hojo saw the glint of scared curiosity in his godson’s eyes, he began to explain.

        “Do you remember, Cloud, the story your mother used to tell? Of the Anjel and Demon of Earth? There is more to that story than, in fact, it isn’t a story at all. It is history. Tseng, you lack the basic knowledge surrounding the tale, so I will begin from the beginning, though Cloud will already know much of this. What you must understand, Tseng, is that this cannot be shared with the world. If the people knew, if SHINRA knew, they would try to monopolise. You cannot tell anyone what I am about to tell you.”

**~~~~~~~~~~Hojo~~~~~~~~~~**

        “Every planet is alive. It has a collective consciousness that decides how to maintain itself, how to keep the planet alive.  It has lifeblood known as the Lifestream,” he held up a hand to stop the Turk from interrupting, “Yes, it is a common tale, and it is true. There is scientific basis for most of this. The lifestream is ethereal, it has no physical form in its  _ natural _ state. In our dimension, it takes a liquid form, which we call mako. The embodiment of power, of life and death. What is  _ not _ common knowledge, is that there are isotopes, only two, and only a specific amount on each planet. Respectively, one is positive, a highly stable form, and one is lacking sufficient protons. It is negative, and significantly unstable. Bright and dark, light and shadow. Light will heal, shadow destroys, but they are not good and evil. Simply a balance that exists within every planet, a balance the lifestream monitors constantly. I’ve identified these isotopes as anjemako and demonako, derived from anjels and demons. 

        Originally, everyone on every planet had appropriate levels mako within them. The common people had static mako, the original, and could commune with the voices of the planet. Others had demonako or anjemako. The issue is, anjemako only bonds with anjemako, and demonako only bonds with demonako. It naturally gravitates toward itself, accumulates in certain cells. So anjels and demons stick to themselves. No, I’m not insane, don’t look at me like that,” Hojo muttered.  _ Ignorant Turk. _

        Anjels are loved, shallowly, and are put on pedestals, held above the rest of humanity as superior, and thus they are isolated. The live amongst each other, breed with one another. When a child is born,  _ all _ of the anjemako from the parents transfers to the child. It is inexplainable by scientific terms, it is magic. True magic. Eventually the anjemako resides in a single person, the sole anjel of the planet. 

        The same thing happens with demons. They are naturally destructive, even if they don’t mean to be. As a result they are rejected, feared, deemed evil to the core  _ even _ if in their hearts they are innocent and kind. So they too live amongst other demons, and breed with demons. The isotope entirely transfers from parents to the first child. And one demon is left. This evolution takes place differently on each planet, for each lifestream. And so the story Ayira Strife brought to Nibelheim chronicles what happened on a planet known as Earth.

        The common people of Earth retained their static mako, retained contact with the planet and allowed it to thrive whilst they thrived upon it. But the last demon, Jenova, developed a hate, a hatred of the last anjel that turned into obsession, desire for possession, even. She fell madly in love with him, Mykahyl, but he did not share her feelings. He couldn’t love her, not when she burned Earth’s green forests to find him, not at the risk of the planet. So he fled. He transported himself through space, set out on a journey to find somewhere she would not follow. This only angered more, fueled her passion. So she too left the planet, intent on following him. But Jenova knew that he would leave the next planet before she even arrived, so she used the energy in Earth’s demonako to send herself back in time, to arrive at the first planet he would go to. Except she arrived two thousand years early.

        Eventually Jenova found the new planet’s demons, settled down with them to wait for Mykahyl’s arrival even if she would be old and decaying, to wait so she might tell him of her love for him. But she unbalanced the new world. With her Earthian demonako, she tilted the scale, and in short order the common people and the anjels showed up to dispose of her, to confine her and freeze her in ice so her cells would never spread to the rest of the planet. They froze her, inactive and stuck in a mass of ice in Northern Crater,” he could see the Turk perking up at its mention and nodded.

        “The very same Northern Crater that, not twentyfive years ago Professor Gast Faermis pulled a lifeform from. The body of what he believed to be a Cetra, or Ancient. 

        Now, I’d better mention, the evolution of Gaia’s people, on this planet, involved the common people losing their mako. When we die, whatever we have returns to the planet. It does not transfer,  _ cannot _ transfer, to our offspring. It is why SOLDIERs are infertile. Nevertheless, most humans can no longer connect to the planet. We do not hear its voices, or understand its ways and balances. The few who still can, still could, we called Cetra. As far as I am aware, there is only one left, and she is naught but a half-blood. Yes, the girl in the slums. I have you Turks protecting her for this very reason.

        So Gast pulled Jenova’s body from the ice, believing it Cetra. Under SHINRA funding he began to experiment. It wasn’t until his death, when he disappeared to Cosmo Camyon to slowly live out his last days, tha he discovered she wasn’t one. Because on his deathbed his wife revealed that she herself was the last full blooded Cetra. And so began the search for answers, to find out what Jenova was. Of course, the project wasn’t named that just yet. It was only named when, twenty one years ago in Nibelheim, a female scientist arrived to help study it, and named it the JENOVA project. Beautiful Lucrecia, I never understood where the name came from. Not until she went mad.

        The Turk detail at the time- yes, this room is clear of all surveillance, I’m not an idiot Tseng- The Turk got in her way. She shot him in my office, poor fool, they dated once upon a time, and intended to blame me for the death so she might continue what mad plans she had. I managed to save him, barely, but he preferred to remain dead to the company, no longer wanted anything to do with SHINRA or it’s mad Science Department.

        Lucrecia though, she injected our unborn son, my son, still in the womb, with the thing’s cells. With Jenova’s cells. And most of the demonako has transferred to him over the years. There are others, two others, who were also injected close to the same time, with samples sent over to Banora, to Hollander. What an imbecile.

        Yes, you must realise at this point I speak of the top three, of Hewley and Rhapsodos, and of Sephiroth, my son, though he does not remember. Probably for the best. So our star General, the Demon of Wutai, is quite literally a demon. More so, even, since the injection was so abrupt, so unnatural, that Gaia took notice. In order to control the foreign demonako inside Sephiroth, Gaia infused its own demonako and bonded it with Earth’s. So Sephiroth has two entire planets worth of demonako. Yes Cloud, this has much to do with your condition. I’ll get to that, rest assured.

        Meanwhile, across the cosmos, Earth mustn’t be forgotten. Without its destructive force the planet thrived, so much so that death was less and less common. Jenova’s departure destabilised the planet because there was too much light. No shadows. All of the demonako was gone. It destroyed itself, taking with it the souls, the memories. The lifestream imploded.  _ Not _ though, before Mykahyl made his last attempt to save it. He left Earth to return the balance, to eliminate the isotopes from the system of its Lifestream. It didn’t work, and the planet died, but Mykahyl lived on. He came to the nearest planet, to Gaia. Yes, to us. He knew his presence could destabilise Gaia, but he had nowhere else to go. The last anjels and demons accepted him, assured him that his presence actually  _ balanced _ the planet. But he couldn’t believe that. He couldn’t allow another planet to die, so he watched, observed carefully for any sign of trouble.

        He couldn’t help falling in love though, such a beautiful woman he found. He lived with her for a short while. But Mykahyl couldn’t get over his past, couldn’t allow his anjemako to pass on and enter Gaia’s system out of fear. So when he discovered his love was pregnant, he tried to kill the foetus. Still in her womb, he tried to stab it, and so the woman ran. She ran to Nibelheim and hid there, helped clean the mansion, cooked for Sephiroth and I,” Hojo could see realisation dawning on both Cloud and Tseng’s faces, “she told the story of an anjel and demon to the town, to the children. I believe she still tells it now and then, but she never includes the end. She lies and says the anjel lived happily ever after with the love he found. Such a sweet lie. This woman though, her name is Ayira Strife and Cloud, you are the descendant of Earth’s last anjel. You have his anjemako. You  _ also _ happen to have most of  _ Gaia’s _ anjemako through natural descendance in the Strife bloodline as it so happens. Lucky you, you’re a little anjel.

        Except, it’s not lucky. It’s rather unfortunate, since your Earthian and Gaian anjemako never bonded, Cloud. You came by both naturally, and Gaia never realised Mykahyl’s anjemako was there. It knew it was balanced, recognised it separately and remembered when Sephiroth was born, but it never bonded together.  _ That _ my little RainCloud, is your condition. 

        It isn’t the mako you’re reacting to, it’s the demonako. Sephiroth’s demonako is bonded, but Jenova’s magical stigma lingers in his body. Her obsession, it resonates with your Earthian anjemako. When Gaia realises the foreign anjemako is there, she tries to bond it to her own anjemako to maintain the balance. So when I said being too close to Sephiroth could potentially kill you, I meant it. The pain from suddenly bonding could tear you apart from the inside.”

**~~~~~~~~~~Cloud~~~~~~~~~~**

        After Sephiroth had chased him to the labs, he hadn’t know what to do, or what would happen. But what Hojo said, watching his expressions, that was a surprise. 

        He remembered the story of course, mum told it to him every couple of years as he grew up, but he never understood the significance. 

        He remembered reading Rindan’s notes in the Mansion, about mako isotopes, but never made the connection. So ultimately, it wasn’t  _ too _ surprising. He just wasn’t  _ expecting _ it. And Tseng looked like his mind was just broken.

        “Is that… Why he doesn’t remember Nibelheim? Remember me?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **A/N:** Fucking complicated chapter, yeah?. **Let me know** if something doesn’t make sense. _Really_ need to make sure it’s understandable.


	33. Waking Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary:  
> Two years. Cloud was furious. Two years he had been applying to join SHINRA’s army, every time a recruiter came to Nibelheim.  
> Over the weekend the Turks experience a security breach, and a week later Turk headquarters are disrupted by the laughter of a noisy redhead, after having found a video posted by one of the most notorious hackers on the darknet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **A/N:** Mostly Seph’s POV. Didn’t get quite as far as I hoped this chapter but we're headed in the right direction.
> 
>  **Disclaimer:** I own nothing but the plot, and my writing style.

        Having talked for a few hours more, all three were exhausted. This wasn’t the kind of material meant to be shared on such short notice, or under stress. Tseng found himself wishing he could drift off to sleep, but his training and rapid thoughts wouldn’t allow it. He also wondered if there was any of that sedative left over, because that would be wonderful. Far easier than coping with the idea that while Cloud and the General were both human, they were quite literally an angel and demon. It made Sephiroth’s constant destruction of VR rooms and training grounds explainable, made his thirst for blood when lost in battle something natural, something the silver haired man couldn’t control. And above all the shock, Tseng recognised pieces of Hojo’s explanations from stories. From very  _ old _ stories, legends told as fairytales to the young ones in his former homeland. Wutaians were a superfluously superstitious people, but perhaps they were rightly so. Much like the old stories told, a demon had fallen from the sky. The idea that Jenova lived amongst their people, their own demons, so long ago, sought shelter to wait for Mykahyl… It was almost frightening. And to think Vincent Valentine, legendary Turk who held the highest scores in all of the old assessments, who had been Veld’s partner, was still alive and hiding in a crevice somewhere. That too was something he intended to look into.

        Instead of inquiring further though, he remained still, listening intently as Cloud and Hojo spoke. They’d moved on from alien genetics, to memories of Nibelheim, of how much certain people knew. They spoke at length of the studies and research left behind in the mansion that Cloud had gotten hold of, which eventually led to the current argument. Cloud was more upset than Tseng had seen him before, eyebrows slightly furrowed downwards and fists clasped at his side. He tuned back in to pay closer attention.

**~~~~~~~~~~Hojo~~~~~~~~~~**

**“** It is for his own good. Everything I’ve done has been for him, even following the orders from the President.”

        “Found reports,” Cloud glared at him, “How could that possibly-”

        “Because she is still conscious, still sentient! He has to build up tolerance, resistance, to be able to resist when she calls because she still writhes, stil intends to hunt Mykahyl. I’ve seen it in the isotopes. They have her will, her physical obsession. If it develops mentally, if he accepts her, I can’t guarantee anyones safety. If she manages to get a grasp on him, control him, we don’t know what she will do so  _ yes, _ I’ve experimented on my own son because it’s the only thing I  _ can _ do to protect him from her influence. I only hope that he is strong enough to control himself, but as far as the mental battle, the battle of wills go, there is nothing I can do to reinforce his thoughts, to protect his mind.”

        “Jenova is on his birth certificate,” Cloud was mad with him. The blond’s tone was almost ice.

        “Yes, I did. He has more of her DNA than he does Crescent’s.”

        “Too much.”

        “Well what else was I supposed to do Cloud? Tell him his mother was insane!? Didn’t care enough to worry he might die!? Sephiroth can’t handle that right now!”

        “No! But he should at least know his mother’s real-” the blond cut off, a strange expression momentarily crossing his features. He started shifting both shoulders, clearly uncomfortable, though for what reason wasn’t clear. 

        Hojo thought it almost looked like- “Shit!” he cursed, staring at the monitor readings on the computer near by and blurred into a flurry of motion. “Tseng, take Cloud out of here immediately,” he began grabbing a number of things, stuffing them in pockets and rechecking the readings over again. They were linked to Sephiroth, in the other room, and his son had apparently woken up. How long had he been fully aware? How much had he heard? He could only hope he’d make it in there in time to stick a mild muscle relaxant into him, keep him still and calm. Make sure this wouldn’t damage the situation any further than it had, or put Cloud at risk.

        He couldn’t risk telling Sephiroth the truth right now, not when he was this unstable. If he found it all out the wrong way, at the wrong time, it could spell disaster for everyone. Moving towards the doorway leading to the room his son was contained in, he took a breath while glancing back to be certain Tseng and Cloud were gone, and spun to march into the exam room.

**~~~~~~~~~~Seph~~~~~~~~~~**

        Waking up, he startled at how dysfunctional his mind felt. It was… Blurry, jumbled. Unorganised. He’d never liked things that way, preferred to keep everything in place, clean, tidy. Easy to locate. His thoughts, at the moment, were anything but that.

        It wasn’t much of a shock to feel the cold metal restraints around many of his body parts, or the solid, uncomfortable surface beneath his back. The professor often had him on these tables in his earlier teenaged years. They were designed to hold him, after all. He was the original model for SOLDIER. Why was he thinking about that? He couldn’t remember what had happened. Eyelids still closed, he could only feel the restraints. No shifts in the air, no fingers poking. Just reinforced clasps around his ankles, wrists, forehead. There was one over his hip bones, pinning him to the table. Hojo never liked it when he squirmed, said it made things harder to cut efficiently. Admittedly, if he stayed still the incisions were always clean, straight edges. They healed faster than the jagged ones that resulted if he tried to avoid it. Angeal and Genesis didn’t seem to think that was a good way to think. They didn’t like Hojo working on him. He was back off track. Damn. Why was he here? There hadn’t been an appointment on his calendar, so what had- Ah. His calendar. Recalling the glimpse of it he’d gotten that morning, he remembered heading out the door. Going to… Going to the cadet floors, it said he was watching someone. Blond. Blond hair.

_         Right, _ he thought as his mind began to clear more, his system rooting out the drugs. Must have been a new formula to have that kind of an effect. At least he wasn’t in any pain, just attached to a table. The professor must have put him here while he dealt with the blond. The man had no interest in testing Zack, so the younger First had probably been carted off to his apartment. No, Angeal’s apartment was more likely. So he had followed the blond here. He wanted answers to a few questions, a report for the incident in the hallway. Maybe to question the boy about his relationship with Hojo, although  _ that _ clearly wasn’t a good idea at the present time. It would have to wait until he cornered the blond somewhere the Turks couldn’t rescue him. Somewhere without constant security monitoring.

        The basis of a plan began to form in the back of his mind as Sephiroth looked to escape the current situation. He hadn’t been down here in a long while, but now that he was it was certain that Hojo would want to work on him for a while. If he got out before then, he wouldn’t have to deal with that. The restraints, he knew from experience, he couldn’t break without a burst of adrenaline. He’d have to talk his way out. Focusing on his surroundings again, he tried to determine how long he had to formulate a reason before the scientist came back. He picked up voices in the next room over, one quiet and one mostly familiar. The second had to be Hojo, but it lacked the usual gravel, the slippery tone. He dubbed it Hojo’s Honest Voice, because he’d never quite heard that tone from the man. The other…  _ That must be the blond. _ They were speaking loudly, as though disagreeing. Something about  _ “Too much,” _ and clouds. That didn’t make sense. His mind must still be muddled from the sedative. Had to avoid that stuff in future. He listened again.

_         “ mother was insane!? Didn’t care enough to worry he might  _ **_die!?_ ** _ Sephiroth can’t handle that right now!” _

        Oh. They were talking about him. About… Mother? They were talking about his mother. Why would the Professor tell the boy about something like that? Unless… The boy knew something. About him. That made sense with how close he seemed to Hojo. The blond knows things, things he shouldn’t, things that not even  _ Sephiroth _ knows. He needed to hear more, to know what’s going on. 

        “- _ at least know his mother’s real-”  _ the blond cut off. His mother’s real what? He was fully awake now.

_         “Tseng, take Cloud out of here immediately.”  _ Was Cloud the boy’s name? That seemed to fit. But if he wanted answers, he’d have to convince Hojo he hadn’t heard anything. It was too risky to tell the man what he’d overheard. The Professor would probably fry his brain until he forgot. There were just some things Hojo didn’t tell him, even if he was always honest with what he  _ did _ tell. Except…  _ Cloud _ made it sound as though he’d been lied to. About his mother’s real… name, was the most likely. But why? Because his mother was insane? Why was Hojo so willing to divulge this information, why didn’t  _ Cloud _ react surprised?

        Thinking clearly, he heard Turk shoes walking away. As usual the blond hardly made a sound save for the air movement. Hojo bustled about the outer lab for a few moments before coming through the door, face impassive. He remained relaxed, unfocused his eyes. He can’t trust Hojo anymore, not after this. He has to be calm, has to lie about overhearing and get out of the labs as soon as possible. Has to slip out and go find the bl-  _ Cloud.  _

        He would have commented on how odd the name was, but his own received similar reactions.

        Listening as Hojo moved closer, leaned over his face, he acted like his vision hadn’t quite returned yet, let his eyes track motion slower as if he were following it by sound rather than sight. There was a hum, and almost concerned hum, and off the scientist went to the other side of the room, muttering out loud about lingering side effects of the new formula. As far as Sephiroth could gather, the gas had temporarily de-activated the mako in his body. He’d relied so heavily on it for as long as he could remember, shutting it off sent his body into a form of stasis until it figured out what had happened. It wasn’t supposed to affect his vision. He resisted the urge to smirk at sucessfully confusing the man. It would help with convincing him he hadn’t heard anything important.

**~~~~~~~~~~Seph~~~~~~~~~~**

        Surprisingly, Hojo let him go without the usual round of experimentation that typically followed his absence from the labs. The scientist had run a few diagnostic tests, kept an eye on his vitals for a while longer, and watched him. Just observing his breathing, his movements once the restraints were unlatched. He’d had a hard time not bolting for the door, but he knew if he’d shown any form of urgency the man would suspect he’d heard something. As it was, he’d only asked once if Sephiroth remembered much from waking up. Hojo was obviously suspicious, but he’d still pressed the button to buzz the door open. His and Hollander’s labs were the only ones designed that way, so anyone could enter but no one could exit without permission.

        Once out in the hallway, Sephiroth stood for a moment to collect his thoughts, prioritise his latest objectives. Whatever stability he thought he’d had in life, regarding his own existence, was now in question and a blond Turk named  _ Cloud _ had answers whether he realised how important they were or not. And unlike with the Professor, he could easily intimidate the boy into giving them up. With that in mind he picked up stride and headed for the elevators, for the Turk floors where they likely would have headed after departing the labs.

**~~~~~~~~~~Gen~~~~~~~~~~**

        When the elevator chimed and the doors opened, he did the usual and ignored whoever it was that boarded and continued focusing on the latest edition of Loveless that Red Leather had sent him. Or he tried to, when a few strand of silver floated in front of his face and settled itself across the pages. Sephiroth had entered with his usual flair, swirling around to face the door and sending his long locks everywhere. Most of them had settled gently back into their usual spot against the General’s back, but the strands on his book remained. Clearly the other wasn’t paying enough attention, busy pushing a button until the doors decided to close. 

        Smirking, he lifted the hair out of the book and gave it a sharp tug. Not enough to rip it out, he’d made that mistake only once when they were younger, but hard enough the man would feel it and it would remind him of his inability to cut his hair. He expected the fist to come flying, even managed to catch it in a hand, but he hadn’t thought there’d be quite so much force behind it. He tisked.

        “Unpleasant day, is it?” he asked glancing at the button panel. They’d just departed the lab floors. “Ah, the Professor.” It was at this point he noticed the only remaining lit button, the Turk floors where he himself had been heading. “Finally asking the Turks to take him out then? Good for you,” he returned to his book. He could feel Sephiroth’s eyes boring into him. He hadn’t caught him  _ that _ off-guard, had he? He’d thought with Cloud’s arrival Hojo had all but stopped bothering the General. What had him so distracted?

        “I may require your assistance shortly.” Genesis made a non-committal grunt, but it was clear enough that Sephiroth answered the unspoken question. “We are kidnapping the blond boy for interrogation. His name is Cloud.”

_         Oh, _ he looked up. Sephiroth was still watching him. He looked… frustrated. And excited. Like he was up to something he  _ knew _ he shouldn’t be doing. This couldn’t go well.

        “We seek him thus and take him to the sky,” he offered, deeming it a response he normally would have used. “Quite the little storm he’s causing, yes?”

        There was a visible click, connection of information behind Seph’s eyes. Genesis immediately cursed himself for that. 

        “Oh yes. A massive  _ stormcloud _ burying itself within SHINRA,” the General monotoned.

_         Well fuck.  _

**~~~~~~~~~~Seph~~~~~~~~~~**

        Following the revelation he found in Genesis’ words, he decided  _ not _ to visit the Turk floors this day, pushing the button for his apartment floor instead and leaning against the back of the metal box in silence.

        He could, and had thought about, slicing through all the Turks and getting answers, about the one truth of family that he had clung to for so long, about the things Hojo never told him,  _ lied _ to him about, but the motivation for doing those things stirred his bloodlust and he could feel his control slipping.  _ No, _ he decided, he would wait. Wait and watch, bide his time. Grab the boy after they’d all relaxed into the idea he hadn’t heard anything. For now he headed home, to grab a few things before going out to the wastelands. 

        He’d only asked about his mother twice, just to know her name. It was probably not Jenova. She probably hadn’t died in childbirth. All he’d wanted was a bit of hard fact, of truth about his origins but even what little information he had was likely false. Now everything felt like a lie. SHINRA’s good relation with the public was a lie, what the company did, what secrets it kept, those could all mostly be classified as lies. The war with Wutaia was an absolute sham, a means of oppressing a people’s culture just to gain access to resources. He’d been sent out most of his life to conquer the world for a fat, greedy bastard that lied about his birth certificate being lost. He’d found it, all blacked out on the Turk servers once when Tseng left him in his office too long. The other hadn’t been mad, but even Tseng couldn’t restore the information. So grabbing an extra set of gear Sephiroth left the building, left the city boundaries to fight, because in that at least, lies are expected. Feints, deceit, backstabbing. It feels like all he has is the fighting, the zone of endless murder he slips into when blood sprays through the air, gets stuck in his hair. And blood does fly. Absently he reminds himself to take a longer shower, because the stuff is incredibly hard to get out of the silver strands. Sometimes it tints them pink for a while, much to Genesis’ amusement. 

        It feels good to use his full abilities again, stop holding himself back. Maybe Lazard will let him ‘go wild’ as Zack would put it, and spend the following week decimating the local monster population. It’s a good stress reliever.

**~~~~~~~~~~SHINRA PR MEDIA~~~~~~~~~~**

CITY WIDE CELEBRATION:

Residents and visitors of Midgar! We are thrilled to announce an almost 73% percent decrease in monster incidents over the past week. This is all thanks to the amazing SOLDIER First Class, General Sephiroth! Please join us in celebrating the increased safety of our citizens at every bar and pub in the city, drinking to his honour!

  
Please help support our troops! Collection boxes will be available behind every counter, just hand your donations to the designated SHINRA funds collector at each location.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **A/N: So, good news is I got a part time job. Bad news is I might have to update every other week. Have to wait and see.**


	34. First Failed Attempt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two years. Cloud was furious. Two years he had been applying to join SHINRA’s army, every time a recruiter came to Nibelheim.  
>  Over the weekend the Turks experience a security breach, and a week later Turk headquarters are disrupted by the laughter of a noisy redhead, after having found a video posted by one of the most notorious hackers on the darknet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **A/N:** Didn’t get quite as far as hoped. Not much detail but on the right track/plot.
> 
> **Disclaimer:** I own nothing but the plot, and my writing style. The drawing is mine, the white mug photo is not.

        He didn’t normally worry this much, but after hearing what happened in the lab he couldn’t sit still. That felt wrong. The  _ Pup _ was the one who never stopped moving, but Angeal continued to buzz around his apartment as the younger First lay unmoving on his bed.

        When they’d first brought Zack to his apartment, whoever it was, they’d set him down on the couch. Angeal was more concerned with his former student’s condition than who it was dropping him off, but he vaguely remembered a dark suit so one of the Turks was probably there. The next day though. When the Pup still hadn’t done more than shift an arm, Angeal had changed his sheets and carried Zack there, taking the couch for himself.

        The note sent with Zack, from Hojo, said he might be out for several days. It did not list how many that might be, and the chicken scratch handwriting made him itch. It all felt wrong. Zack  _ looked _ wrong, when he wasn’t bouncing about the apartment or doing squats. Zack might not be his student anymore, but he still felt protective of the younger SOLDIER. It made him want to storm down to the Professor’s lab and demand answers, demand a solution. He wouldn’t leave the Pup’s side though, so he’d asked Genesis to do it. Sephiroth was nowhere to be found, though the reports from Midgar’s outskirts were evidence enough that Hojo hadn’t locked him in the labs. But Genesis refused to so much as go near Hojo, seemed distracted and unwilling to help, stating it wouldn’t do much anyway. The note already explained that they just had to wait it out, wait for Zack’s mako to reactivate itself. With a formula of whatever it was strong enough to take Sephiroth down for a few hours, it was understandable Zack would be out far longer. Angeal just hadn’t expected it to last nearly a week. 

**~~~~~~~~~~Zack~~~~~~~~~~**

        When Zack did finally wake up, he was confused. His head hurt like hell, his thoughts were foggy, and when he tried to sit up he could only move an inch or two before falling back to the mattress. A mattress which, as he realised an hour or so later as his thoughts began to clear, was most certainly not his own. In fact, nothing in the room belonged to him except his clothes. Another half hour of studying his surroundings, and he managed to crawl towards the edge of the bed, spotting the giant figure sleeping on the floor. His vision was still fairly blurry, but the giant spiky haired bear had to be Angeal, so this was probably Angeal’s room. In Angeal’s apartment. He felt safe enough, so as his body demanded more rest he burrowed back under the comforter and fell asleep.

        When he woke up several more hours later his energy was back to his normal levels, though his head was heavy and his balance was off. Disoriented as he was he couldn’t manage to stand up properly, the resulting fall landing him half on Angeal. The First’s eyes shot open, glowing brightly in surprise, before they settled on Zack’s own.

        The hug enveloping him the next moment was crushing.

**~~~~~~~~~~Gen~~~~~~~~~~**

        He felt a little guilty for abandoning ‘Geal and the Pup, but he knew those two were alright. What he  _ didn’t _ know what if  _ Cloud _ was alright after the close up with Seph in the labs. The blond hadn’t told him much about that, only that being near Sephiroth made him ill. It wasn’t a  _ fan _ reaction, it was an honest physical condition. Whatever conditions applied in Nibelheim had changed now that they were both in Midgar, and something in Cloud and Sephiroth’s bodies didn’t like each other anymore. It made Genesis wonder if Nibelheim mako was different, if different locations had slightly different properties. He’d never considered anything about mako beyond the enhancements it provided.

        Either way, he’d been worried about Cloud enough to visit again. He’d gone to the Turk floors the day of the incident, when he met Sephiroth in the elevator, but the Turks had shooed him off. The next day Cloud had messaged him, explained briefly what happened, assured him that he was alright if still in recovery. That had settled his nerves. But Genesis still felt he might slip up again if he visited Angeal, might accidentally let on that he knows far more than he’s shared. He was lucky Sephiroth hadn’t caught the sarcasm in the elevator, hadn’t figured out he already  _ knew _ Cloud was St0rmCl0ud, already knew Cloud was  _ Cloud.  _

        So he’d kept himself occupied, taking suggestions for activities from the blond. He’d been interacting with Red Leather, helping them set up a fanclub for when the Puppy woke up. To say most of the members were surprised at the gesture was an understatement, and per company policy he couldn’t reveal Zack’s condition to the public, but they went about setting it up anyway, some joining it and others simply recruiting members. Cloud built a website template and sent it to Red Leather anonymously, and Genesis suggested the name  _ RavenPaws.  _ Any ideas coming from the Red Commander were typically taken to without question.

        As a largely collaborative effort, it was a good way to pass the time. They’d already created a few merchandise items by the time Zack woke up. The bones carved with SOLDIER insignia were neat, but his favourite was mug that said “I’m A Squatter,” with the image of a spiky haired puppy squatting to piss. He couldn’t wait to see the Pup’s reaction.

**~~~~~~~~~~Seph~~~~~~~~~~**

        Having waited nearly two weeks for things to settle down, Sephiroth would have had plenty of time to make a plan. Except he spent most of the first week slaughtering monsters, and most of the second filling out paperwork while thinking of imaginative ways to slaughter  _ scientists.  _ The result being, a complete and unprepared for coincidence, he now stood in a hallway face to face with the blond plaguing his mind. The one with the answers, with knowledge of his mother.

        He’d been heading to Lazard’s executive office on the 55th floor, and the boy appeared to be coming  _ from _ said office with a stack of paperwork under one arm and looking at what appeared to be a squirrel held snuggling against his chest with the other hand. If it wasn’t such a peaceful picture, it would have looked ridiculous.

        Before they got within twenty feet of each other though, the blond froze and nearly lost his balance. The boy-  _ Cloud _ , turned away from him and began walking the other direction down the hall without so much as a glance in his direction, but this was a chance, he recognised, to push Cloud into a corner. No one else was in the hall, and the likelihood the Turks were actively monitoring this floor was very low. So forgetting his purpose in visiting Lazard, he strode past the SOLDIER Director’s door and followed the blond, increasing his pace much as Cloud had done.

**~~~~~~~~~~Seph~~~~~~~~~~**

        Keeping a consistent following distance, he let Cloud lead him down three floors to the personal storage rooms on 52, watching from the far end of a long hallway as the boy entered one of the rooms, exiting without the squirrel. He could hear what sounded like the movement of several small animals within the room, but filed that to the back of his mind as the blond used his now open hand to rub at his forehead and glance at him for the first time. It was brief, and before long the teen was off again, moving faster this time. They wound back around to the staircase and up two floors to Urban Development.

        He was tired of waiting, of following the blond around like a sheep, but he couldn’t help being curious about the reaction Cloud seemed to have to him. The instant headaches, the loss of balance. He recalled Hojo’s words the first time he saw the blond in the labs. 

_         “ _ **_That_ ** _ dear boy, is the one person you should leave alone. You will do more harm than good where he is concerned.” _

        But remembering that only frustrated him more, reminded him that he’d followed Hojo’s instructions for most of his life and that the man  _ lied _ to him, which meant what the Professor said that day could have been a lie. So ignoring the obvious evidence that his presence affected the blond, he split across the floor to where Cloud was stuffing packets of tea in his pockets, threw the tiny, startled figure up over his shoulder, and started running. This floor he  _ knew _ the Turks monitored, mostly because of Tuesti’s little experiments, so he wouldn’t have long to get away.

        He hadn’t expected it, but the blond not struggling made things easier. As he ran though, he realised the blond wasn’t simply not fighting back, he’d gone limp like his system was in shock. So maybe there was  _ some _ truth in what the Professor had said. Maybe he’d try getting information another way before resorting to this. It hadn’t been particularly well thought out anyways. His first attempt had failed.

**~~~~~~~~~~Rude~~~~~~~~~~**

        They’d been taking turns for the past two weeks, all of the Turks except Tseng who had too many other responsibilities, following Cloud on the security feeds. There weren’t any pressing issues to be taken care of since the company’s relation with the public had skyrocketed into the positive range after the General’s recent excursion into monster annihilation, and that usually left them with one or two spare members to keep an eye on the blond.

        He had, of course, noticed Sephiroth’s appearance. The instant Cloud stiffened and turned the other direction the first time he’d swiveled the camera to look at what had turned the teen away. The General was standing at the other end of the hallway, simply watching. He’d followed the progression, the decreasing distance with mild concern. Cloud wasn’t showing many of the signs Tseng had warned them of after explaining the gist of Cloud’s condition. They all knew he had left out quite a bit of detail, but all they really needed to know what how to spot when something was wrong with Cloud. Right now it seemed to be only the headaches, and mild dizziness. 

        As soon as the General showed up, Rude had sent a brief message to Legend to move in and stay close in case something should happen. Cloud wasn’t panicking and seemed relatively calm for the moment, so he continued watching, relatively unalarmed. Blond was pretty good at judging situations for himself and would click the panic button on his PHS if needed.

        So it must have been a spur of the moment decision of Sephiroth to literally grab Cloud, who went limp over his shoulder, and run. Rude had left his seat before he even had time to see Legend following close behind, too busy dialing Tseng and making his way to the security overrides to shut the floor down before the pair disappeared. To be safe, he locked down floors 53 and 55 as well, ensuring that if Sephiroth had already left the 54th he wouldn’t get anywhere. Unless he was already in the staircase.

        Rude locked all of the doors to the stairwell. They had to get Cloud back soon. Going limp was not one of the first stage symptoms.

**~~~~~~~~~~Tseng~~~~~~~~~~**

        His PHS ringing made him snap his mouth shut, cutting off the end of his conversation with Rufus. Updating the blond on the current situation was important, yes, but that was the ringtone he’d set for Rude. Rude never _ calls.  _ Not unless it was of dire importance. And Rude was watching Cloud today.

        Snapping the device out of a pocket, he listened to the few brief words Rude panted as he ran, before flipping it shut and giving Rufus a look that clearly said something more important had come up and he wasn’t asking to be dismissed, he was leaving immediately. 

        By the time he met up with Rude, one of the others had pinpointed the General’s current location, trapped in the stairwell by the door to his own apartment, an unconscious figure set against the wall near him. They were lucky he hadn’t simply sliced a door down and gone off into the city. Their surveillance was good, but not  _ that _ good.

**~~~~~~~~~~Cloud~~~~~~~~~~**

        When his eyes once again registered the light outside of his eyelids, he stifled the loud breath threatening to come out.  _ Everything _ hurt, but he remembered what had happened. Cloud hadn’t known what Sephiroth intended by following him around, but the elder had kept his distance so he hadn’t concerned himself with it.

        One of the SOLDIERs had rescued a squirrel from Hojo’s labs and brought it to Lazard. The Professor had seemingly panicked, and called Tseng to inform him that the rodent couldn’t be released back into its natural environment because it  _ glowed in the dark,  _ a trait that would first of all make the poor thing a target and secondly shouldn’t get passed on to offspring. So, Tseng had sent him down to retrieve it, knowing full well he’d been collecting the other squirrels in his spare time with Reno and keeping them in a storage room. Non-mutated animals had always accepted his presence quickly, and he couldn’t bring himself to turn them all in to be sent back wherever they had come from in the first place. He kept them fed, of course, with a small portion of Viva’s money since he knew the ex-Turk would approve, and left the air vent open so they could come and go from the room as they pleased. They returned to sleep, and to nest, much to his amusement. Gaia knows where they got all the paper from.

        It was coming out of Lazard’s office that Sephiroth had bumped into him and begun following him. The headache was instant, but not as bad as the labs a few weeks prior. He almost stumbled once or twice, but the silver haired First kept his distance. He figured if he ran the General would be more likely to actually catch up to him, get too close, but it turned out that would happen anyway, because now he was sitting on the cold cement in the Tower stairwell with Sephiroth, and  _ everything fucking hurt.  _ He couldn’t really move much, so if he had to guess based on Uncle Rin’s explanations of his situation, the rapid decrease of distance between Earth’s mako isotopes and his body’s immediate attempt at forced bonding had sent his entire system into shock as it tried to recover from the suddenness of it.  _ Recalculating before it starts processing, _ he thought.

        And then he felt Sephiroth feel his forehead.

**~~~~~~~~~~X~~~~~~~~~~**

        Unknown to anyone, two figures on different parts of the world lost their balance, minds reeling as a result of the jumbled voices in their heads. One nearly falling into a flower patch but caught just in time by a bright eyed, young SOLDIER First Class, and another sitting in a crawl space, hitting his head and sending cracker crumbs everywhere as glowing crimson eyes widened ever so slightly.

**~~~~~~~~~~Hojo~~~~~~~~~~**

        When Rude quickly backed through the lab doors and went straight for the closest private examination room, he dropped everything. Ayira was going to murder him if she heard about this.

        Cloud’s skin was so pale it looked gray. The blond spikes actually looked like they were wilting as he entered the room, watching the Turk set Cloud down. The soft spikes were, as he’d discovered when Cloud was young, about as un _tamable_ as Sephiroth’s hair is un _cuttable,_ which he reminded himself to look into. He still wasn’t sure if that was an effect of the isotopes or not, but with Cloud having a similar issue with his hair it was certainly possible. No matter, to see the light spikes bent and floppy set every alarm in his mind off. Not even SOLDIER strength super glue would hold those things down, it never dried and just dripped right off.

        Rude filled him in as he set to work attaching monitor cables and checking vitals, preparing every possible thing that might help either stop the bonding process, or slow it down. Sephiroth had apparently not resisted in handing the limp blond over, checking something on his PHS before slipping off to visit Lazard. A few more minutes passed, and Rude informed him the General had volunteered for a mission on the western continent to supposedly  _ cool off. _ He’d check the mission logs later to approve it like he did all the General’s missions, but for now he had more pressing concerns.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **A/N:** Skipping over conflicts ‘cause I suck at writing them, aight?


	35. Felt So Wrong

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Present: Two years. Cloud was furious. Two years he had been applying to join SHINRA’s army, every time a recruiter came to Nibelheim.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **A/N:** I am so sorry, it's been like 4 weeks. College is very distracting.
> 
>  **Disclaimer:** I own nothing but the plot, my writing style, and the occasional drawing.

          His demons had stirred, jolted by some message or another from the planet. Hellmasker and Gigas were murmuring, anxious. Galian continued to growl, and Chaos would not return to sleep. But none of them were speaking to him, telling him what was going on. He wanted to know, feared it had something to do with Cloud, but pushing them would get him nowhere. He would have to wait it out. If Cloud were in any  _ major _ danger, Chaos would have said something or taken over. As much as the demon denied it, he’d grown a fond protective streak over the young blond- 

**_He forced you from that forsaken coffin, Host. I am thankful, nothing more._ **

          Vincent would have responded, but he could feel the demon’s attention had already shifted elsewhere, muttering something about Galian.

**~~~~~~~~~Gen~~~~~~~~~~**

          It felt so wrong to be here, in this situation. He was used to the sterile labs, the near silence. He’d even experienced the routine beeping of monitors many times before. But those times the monitors were attached to himself, or Angeal. Or on rare occasions Sephiroth if the professor had allowed them by his side. 0Always to people who’d had mako and rapid healing properties their entire lives.

          Never had they been connected to someone so small, full of so much spark. He hadn’t cared enough about anyone else to experience this. Genesis had decided he despised this feeling.

          Cloud lay surrounded by screens and wires. Professor Hojo’s private reserve lab, because the man had more labs in the building than anyone really knew about, was no longer cold and sparse. Sterile, yes, but there were personal touches here and there. Evidence of Hojo’s care. A light blue blanket as opposed to SHINRA’s usual grey, tucked in around the blond’s edges. A cot where the scientist had been sleeping. The man had offered Genesis a cot of his own, though the auburn declined. He found it hard to tear himself away from the room, felt calmer and more relaxed if he could actually  _ see _ the teen wasn’t getting any worse, but he always forced himself back to his apartment each night if only to shrug off Angeal’s concerns.

          The raven himself hadn’t been down to visit Cloud, not knowing quite the whole story that Genesis did, and far too concerned with how swiftly his Puppy had been dragged off to another continent. Genesis supposed, in his own way, that he was too worried over the condition of his Chocobo to worry about Angeal’s Pup either. 

**~~~~~~~~~~Hojo~~~~~~~~~~**

          Ayira would have bloody murdered him if she could see her son right now. It wasn’t technically his fault, but he should have kept a closer eye on Sephiroth. He’d done what he could for the moment, but all that was left to do was wait.

          Although stable enough, his godson had been unconscious for five days. He hadn’t bothered an attempt at forcibly waking the blond since Cloud’s body was trying to figure out what to do, develop a plan of action. 

          If he had to explain it in a less scientific way, he’d say Gaia’s anjemako was confused. It recognised Earth’s anjemako, and knew something had to be done with it, but couldn’t understand why it  _ existed. _ Gaia had claimed Earth’s demonako when it bonded inside Sephiroth, and the world was balanced. But this anjemako was not Gaia’s, it had not been… naturalised. So rather than  _ continuing _ the bonding process that had been slowly progressing since Cloud arrived in Midgar, everything was on hiatus while the isotopes stared at each other and wondered what to do.

          It made for a very stressful waiting period, and he couldn’t help but share the feelings so obviously expressed on the auburn’s face. The First was seated at Cloud’s hip, on the edge of the mattress, leaning over to gently run a hand through blond spikes.  _ Those _ at least, and sprung back up to their usual defiance of gravity. Still, he couldn’t deny the whole situation still felt so wrong.

**~~~~~~~~~~Tseng~~~~~~~~~~**

          To say the Turks had been busy the past five days was certainly an understatement. Their department was always shifting back and forth between minute activity and more work than all of SOLDIER did in a month, but they did what they were told. Most of the time. 

          He was in fact, doing as he’d been told to at the moment. Subtly making contact with a terrorist organisation on behalf of Rufus, gathering information about the group that had branched off. According to the three main leaders, they’d been arguing over… and ethical issue, with Fuhito, when several of their higher ranking members departing on what was supposed to be an assassination attempt on someone within SHINRA. Instead of following orders however, the group next made contact from the western continent to inform Elfe and her counterparts that they were leaving the group. That it had taken a direction they did not agree with.

          Departing with that information in mind, he returned to the younger Shinra with much to discuss.

**~~~~~~~~~~Rufus~~~~~~~~~~**

          “And you believe this group the better option, Tseng? I’ve already invested quite a sum in Elfe and her party.”

          “I would advise reaching out to the group on the northern continent, yes. Fuhito has destabilised them, caused a rift, and Elfe no longer seems mentally stable. ”

          “I see.” Rufus turned to the window behind his desk, contemplating. 

          He’d made contact with Avalanche ages ago, and while they were useful, their focus was waning. The reports of Fuhito’s  _ Ravens _ were becoming a nuisance, and their lack of individuality was concerning. He’d offered the SOLDIER program to the man, before he discovered Hojo wasn’t as mad as he acted, and he’d rather not have the Firsts turned into mindless drones. So Fuhito would have to go, and if his influence over Elfe was as damning as Tseng implied, might as well take her out of the equation. Shears wasn’t any good on his own either.

          Nodding once to himself, he spun about and leaned over his desk to write a short note. The General’s current mission was on the western continent, and he’d rather not waste any of his own resources tracking the eco-terrorists down. He just had to explain the situation to Sephiroth with the promise of a few answers regarding Cloud, and the rest was out of his hands. Passing the note off to the Wutaian, he watched deep in thought as Tseng bowed and slipped out of his room.

          After his head Turk explained the situation with Cloud and the science department nearly three weeks ago, it had seemed a wonderful time to begin removing his father from power. It felt so right. And perhaps it was time to speak with Lazard.

**~~~~~~~~~~Zack~~~~~~~~~~**

          He’d thought about voicing confusion, he really had, but at this point it just didn’t seem like it would change anything.

          After he’d woken up from the lab incident, Zack couldn’t get  _ Cloud _ out of his head. They finally knew Spike’s name, but not much else. Other than the fact that Hojo was intent on protecting the blond, which was weird enough on its own.

          And then Seph had dragged him to the helipad and carted him off to the northern continent with a ridiculous list of tiny missions a pair of infantrymen could complete. So being confused was a normal reaction. He just hadn’t said anything because most likely, this was stress relief for the silver First. A way to get out of Midgar, to move about and find things to do. Seph was like a brother to him, much the same way he viewed Angeal as a second father, so he’d gone along without complaint. They completed what were supposed to be routine reactor checks, though they never got done unless someone from the company was in the area on another mission. Highly monster populated areas were now much less populated in all the backwater towns.

          Still, it was a relief when Reno called with an active mission in the area. A little less so hearing it was in Nibelheim, Cloud’s hometown, but still something with more direction than aimlessly wandering the continent looking for things to do. And Sephiroth at least seemed eager to do this one rather than completing it without a second thought. So off they were to Nibelheim.

**~~~~~~~~~~Seph~~~~~~~~~~**

          This time, he was thinking it out. There were plenty of things to do here on the western continent to keep physically busy, but his mind was always elsewhere. On platinum hair and rich sky eyes. On plotting and planning out an infallible strategy, because that’s what a General would do. The next time he went after the b-  _ Cloud,  _ they would be alone and could finally talk. He still hadn’t thought of a way around the sickness the blond developed around him, but it would come to him in time. Only a matter of time.

          The warm, comforting feeling in his head seemed to agree with whatever he thought, and that was reassuring. Like his subconscious had become a split personality to supplement his consciousness. He still still had a gut feeling that something was missing, and that had been making him slightly nauseous since arriving on this continent, but being out and about was still nice.

**~~~~~~~~~~The Infantrymen~~~~~~~~~~**

          “They’ll never believe you when we get back.”

          “Then we’ll just need proof. Because apparently the General  _ does _ work with infantrymen. You’ll back me up right?”

          “It’s just the two of us, do you really think the guys will believe we spent a whole month traveling the western continent with  _ the  _ General Sephiroth and Lieutenant Fair?”

          “HEY! I thought I told you call me ZACK. I hate all the titles and formal stuff. Seriously.”

          “Maybe we could take you more seriously if you weren’t doing squats on the edge of a cliff Lieutenant. I don’t care what the Science Department says, not even a First could survive that fall.”

          “But I’m booooored. Seph is still inside talking to the innkeeper. Sounds like they only have one room with a pair of queen beds.”

          “And of course he can hear that from across the entire town. Guess we’re sleeping together Alfers. Doubt the General will share a bed with either of us.”

          “No, but Lieutenant Fair might.”

          “IT”S ZACK. I swear Charlie, I’ll write a poor performance review about you when we get back!”

          “SOLDIERs only review SOLDIER performance, and besides, even if you did the paperwork will get lost.”

          “No way, I’ll hand deliver it.”

          “I’m dating a turk. That paper will burn in your hand.”

          “ _ WHAT?!  _ Hey, you didn’t have this Turk set my hair on fire at any point, did you?” Zack twisted one of his spikes, remembering the week the ceiling landed on his head in front of Spike.

          Charlie gave him a blank stare.

          Alfers dropped his rifle and burst out laughing.

**~~~~~~~~~~Seph~~~~~~~~~~**

          In the end, Sephiroth decided to let the infantry have the room at the inn. It was perfectly feasible for all four of them to fit, but he’d rather be able to show his less  _ formal _ side, and he couldn’t do that around people he was unfamiliar with. So instead, he and Zack were making their way to the small house on the village they’d been directed to after asking for Strife.

          There was a relatively middle aged woman out front, tending to the flowers, and he knew they’d found the right place. Strawberry blonde hair, not quite as platinum as her son’s, but the same facial features and physical stature. It took him a moment to realise she was fully aware of their approach, quite a surprise with Zack being abnormally quiet, probably lost in thought. But yes, as he took the last few steps towards the short fence out front, she was aware and paying close attention. This was confirmed as she turned to them and spoke before he could clear his throat to introduce himself.

**~~~~~~~~~~Viva~~~~~~~~~~**

          He felt it strongly this morning, Gaia’s attention in the area. For as much as the demons tried to limit her contact with the former Turk, some of it slipped through when related events were this close. He didn’t know what the event was yet, but it was  _ definitely _ in Nibelheim.

          The clue came in seeing the silver haired individual from so long ago, who slipped about the mansion and brought him books to read, approaching the house. From what he’d read of Hojo’s studies after the man had left, this boy was tied to the planet, to the balance of existence. 

          Ayira had taken note of his discomfort when he slipped out of sight, long before the two approached. Now he observed from the shadows as they asked about a spare room, that they knew her son. He watched as she led them inside, slipping in through Cloud’s bedroom window on the second floor to clean up the cracker crumbs before they came upstairs. When that was done he departed for the mansion, knowing Ayira would understand his disappearance. 

          His thoughts drifted as he walked however, to the silver haired one’s eyes. Not the glow or the colour, but the shape. They hadn’t been that shape when he was younger, but now the structure mirrored Lucrecias and he couldn’t help but think back. To the time he thought she loved him, thought she cared. 

          And he thought of the thing in the reactor. Always staring blankly with glowing magenta eyes. No longer a demon but still somehow active, still sentient. Preserved by the frozen state she was found in and sustained by the mako chamber. He decided he ought to check on that as well, that the containment unit was still sealed. Chaos and Galian rumbled loud agreements.

          Something was going to happen that was  _ not _ supposed to here, something wrong. He couldn’t shake the feeling. It felt so wrong.


	36. To The Mansion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **The Present:** Two years. Cloud was furious. Two years he had been applying to join SHINRA’s army, every time a recruiter came to Nibelheim.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **A/N:** I _promise_ to **finish** this fic. Real life is just amazing right now so updates are few and far between. Another update next week.
> 
> **Disclaimer:** I own nothing but the plot, my writing style, and the occasional drawing.

**_Boy…._ **     

**_Son?_ **

**_Yes, my blood, my son..._ **

_Twenty three,_ the General thought as he woke. The twenty-third time someone else’s voice was in his head.

    That comforting feeling in his mind had existed since he stepped foot on the northern continent, but having arrived in Nibelheim it grew. It wasn’t a feeling, not his own at least. It was a presence, and it had begun to speak. It still wasn’t clear, but a word would slip through here and there in his waking moments, half conscious. Not a dream, something else.

    His thoughts returned to Hojo, in younger years. Scratchy voice ordering him to report any unusual abilities or thoughts. He used to do just that, even when he knew what would happen. Knew he’d end up strapped to a table listening to the Professor mutter things about building resistance while he conducted rather unpleasant business on Sephiroth’s body. Still, his instincts said to call the man. Tell him there is a voice in his head that didn’t belong.

    But Hojo had lied. Hojo was a variable, an unidentified figure not of threat but of confusion. Like Cloud Strife. And his mother.

    Ayira Strife, over the course of last evening, had proven to be just as vague in her explanations as Kunsel about where he collected his information from. Just enough to be reasonable but not enough to give any real information.

    Yes, her son had wanted to join SHINRA. Yes, Cloud had wanted to be a SOLDIER at one point. Yes, it was possible Cloud had a connection to the Professor, he used to live in the mansion **-mansssion-** the voice had interrupted.

    So this morning they were going to the mansion. The mission called for it anyway, as a possible hiding location for the eco-terrorists. The mansion, the reactor, and the old cave systems in the mountains.

    The infantrymen couldn’t brave the mountain with them, they didn’t have the proper gear. He supposed that was his fault for not preparing his troops, but this wasn’t on the original mission list. He’d planned to check every reactor on this continent, but the mountain was for Tseng. To help Rufus take over the company.

    He wasn’t sure how to feel about that, since technically the company owned him- **_LIES_** **-** _twenty four._ The current president hadn’t flaunted that fact, had become too afraid to use it against him, but Rufus had always seen things a different way. Nevertheless, terrorists needed to be dealt with.

    And the feeling behind the voice urged him to go that same direction.

**~~~~~~~~~~Zack~~~~~~~~~~**

    “Just got off the phone with ‘Geal, he wants to talk when you get back,” Zack watched as the General paced. They were waiting for the infantry guys to pack up and move out. He wasn’t sure Seph heard him.

    “Hey, you hearing me? He’ll probably give you another lecture,” he waved a hand, hoping the motion would catch the man’s attention. Sephiroth stopped pacing and shot him a look.

    “How can I not hear you? I’ve simply learned to tune you out.”

    “Not nice, but at least you’re talking again. Went kinda silent this morning.” That was as close to asking what was wrong as he could get without pushing too much. _Pretty narrow margin,_ he grinned, always happy to be one of the few who doesn’t get skewered for asking.

    The General appeared lost in thought for a moment, as the infantrymen finally tumbled out of the inn with a long haired girl, chattering non-stop. Upon noticing their General and Lieutenant they waved her off. When Zack’s own attention returned to him, the silver First offered a short sentence before whirling about with the usual flair and marching down the street.

    “This place… it is familiar,” Seph had said. It sounded an awful lot more than a place he’d been before. That didn’t make sense though, Seph had always said he was raised in Midgar, in the labs.

**~~~~~~~~~~Seph~~~~~~~~~~**

    The mansion wasn’t as abandoned as the files said it was, he was certain. Dust was everywhere, faint footprints, stale air, but the place felt _lived in._ There was something here, someone using the space. Maybe not this part, he held in a snort as one of the infantrymen sneezed and complained about but filth.

    And true to what he’d said, it _was_ familiar. Eerily so, as if he’d been here before. Yet he had no memory of stepping foot in Nibelheim. Not for any mission or forced vacation. It was backwater, middle of nowhere in a frozen mountain range supposedly full of dragons and Nibel Wolves. Speaking of which, there were large wolf prints on the floor. Probably the newest tracks in here, several overlapping in different directions. Illogical, since they’d circled the building and found no open access points. All windows were intact if not frozen over, all doors were locked. For a supposedly abandoned building it was quite well maintained. Which made it unreasonable that a wolf might have gotten in. Unless there were other access points, connected underground. And anywhere Hojo has been, there’s bound to be an underground lab.

    “Zack with me, you two guard the door and keep your backs to the walls,” he ordered, slipping next to one of the walls. Despite his caution the floorboards creaked and practically echoed through the house. The two infantrymen had gone silent, and he realised it wasn’t his own path that caused the noise. It was Zack stepping behind him. _Not silent enough,_ he noted, reminding himself to pass that on to Angeal.

    Once they were far enough down a hallway the others couldn’t  hear, he paused and pulled the Lieutenant into an alcove so nothing could sneak up on them unless it came _through_ one of the three walls surrounding them. He’d decided the lab at least, shouldn’t be a surprise to Zack. The Firsts had all had enough experience in various SHINRA labs to feel in danger if the weren’t expecting to enter one. He voiced as much.

    “There is an extremely high possibility there is an underground lab at this location,” he stared.

    “What makes you say that?” Zack blinked as he processed the thought. “Well, other than Hojo having lived here. Wouldn’t they have destroyed it so no one stumbled in?”

    “They may have removed the research and materials, but there are wolf tracks in the entry.”

    “Yeah, I saw’em.”

    “We found no open entry points above ground. The doors were locked. I believe they may have come through underground tunneling from other access points-”

    “And Hojo plus underground equals labs. Right, got it. He’s usually tidy though so he wouldn’t have… left anything behind, right?” Zack interrupted, receiving a short look of disapproval.

    The younger First offered a sheepish expression in return but it left his face quickly as a quiet scuff echoed through the house. A glance around the corner, towards the door told him it hadn’t been one of the infantrymen, told him they hadn’t heard it at all. Which meant it had to have come from further inside in order for their SOLDIER enhancements to let them hear it. Motioning down the hallway, they began a swift search of the floor.

**~~~~~~~~~~Cloud~~~~~~~~~~**

_Conform-life-confusion…_

_Split-union-foreign…_

    Cloud thought back his own confusion at the voice, or rather voices, in his head at present. He didn’t know how long he’d been listening, but it still didn’t make sense.

    Now that he knew the whole story, after Projo had explained, he assumed the ethereal substance around was the lifestream. Or a mental representation of the lifestream, because he was pretty sure he hadn’t died yet. Or maybe he had. Nothing hurt right now and that was an improvement from the last time he was conscious, but if he’d rather be in pain than dead-

_Death-cycle-life_

    And it’d be really nice if they stopped interrupting him. It felt like pieces of his mind were being pulled out and put back in different spots. Memories resurfacing at random and sharing thoughts with the life here. The current was blending him in with the surroundings, with the flow of soft turquoise and lime green that felt like hundreds of insubstantial hands lifting flecs of him along and separating them. The life, the spirits and conscious, were gently nudged his pieces back towards the main mass of his existence. It… tingled. Like an itch that doesn’t bother him enough to scratch, not quite a tickle.

_Jokes-quiet-proceed… Caution-locate-locate_

    It was like they argued with themselves. About him. That made a little sense though, if Gaia hadn’t recognised half of his anjemako. It knew the world was balanced but something wasn’t quite right. Something foreign hadn’t integrated properly yet.

_Integrate-bond-connect…_ It seemed to be following his train of thought. He wanted to think _she_ instead of _it_ , but wasn’t sure how the planet felt about assigned pronouns. Honestly, the planet wasn’t concerned about it. Was that his own thought? It didn’t feel like it. So maybe he would, yes, call Gaia _she._ She prefers it. But this had to be over soon, he was having difficulty separating their thoughts-

_Immediate-now-bond…  Gradual-postpone-bond_

_Gradual,_ he thought back to himself. He wasn’t sure how that worked. But if she was thinking about forcing the bond right now, Projo had said that might kill him-

_Descendant-keep-need…_

    Well that was reassuring. Somewhat. At least she’d _try_ to keep him alive. He didn’t know how long he’d been here, and he didn’t know how much longer he could last.

**~~~~~~~~~~Hojo~~~~~~~~~~**

    As his shoulder was lightly tapped, he pulled away from the nearest machine to look at the auburn First,silently pleased that the latest samples from Cloud showed less activity. The bonding process was back to its normal levels since the blond arrived in Midgar, a slow transition.

    Taking his focus towards Hollander’s first attempt, he reprimanded himself for phrasing it that way. Yes, they were all technically experiments and _yes_ Hollander’s duo would begin experiencing problems soon, but his little Storm Puff was attached to this one and by extension so was Hojo himself. Rolling his shoulders in a brief stretch, he tilted his head to one side and eyed the First.

    “What is it Genesis?” They’d adopted first name basis after being in the same room for most of a week. Or at least he had, the First still called him Hojo or Professor.

    “His mouth’s been moving for the past hour. Like it was Tuesday.” Genesis held up a sheet of paper, neatly looping handwriting in straight lines across the page. “I can’t make sense of this but managed to catch most of them this time,” he handed it over.

    Taking a long look at it, Hojo allowed his eyebrows to shoot up in surprise. He’d forgotten how nice it felt to use facial muscles after coming to Midgar, and seeing as Storm Puff and the Red General were the only others in this entire wing of his subground labs he needn’t bother to mask any that came naturally to his face. He read the list once more as he walked to Cloud’s side, pulling out his own scratch-pad and pen to copy the words onto.

CONFORM, LIFE, CONFUSION, SPLIT, UNION, FOREIGN, DEATH, CYCLE, LIFE, JOKES, QUIET, PROCEED, CAUTION, LOCATE, LOCATE, INTEGRATE, BOND, CONNECT, YES, CALL GAIA SHE, SHE PREFERS IT, IMMEDIATE, NOW, BOND, GRADUAL, POSTPONE, BOND, GRADUAL DESCENDANT, KEEP, NEED, TRY

    After he copied them, he handed the original page over his shoulder to Genesis and sat down to watch as Cloud’s mouth continued to twitch. Just as they’d noticed a few days ago, the pale face occasionally moved enough to form just the whisper of a word. And for all intents and purposes, it seemed like the blond was conversing with the planet itself. He’d seen those chopped up sentences, those limited words before. From notes on the young Cetra and her mother, before he helped them escape Hollander’s incapable hands. He wondered briefly if he might save Genesis and the other from the man, find some way to fix them before Cloud bonded completely. He’d really rather not explain the whole thing, but it would happen eventually. The closer those two got to Cloud now, the worse it would be once his anjemako bonded. But Cloud was stable, so for now he had time. Focusing on the blond’s condition and paused state of transition was much more important.

    Reaching for the nearest counter he latched onto a pair of highlighters and handed one to Genesis. There was clearly information to be collected here, _something beyond human understanding,_ Hojo thought to himself as he began highlighting short phrases and circling repeated words.

**~~~~~~~~~~Seph~~~~~~~~~~**

    The had cleared the first floor before they found anything. In fact, it was on the stairs up to the second floor and they almost missed it. Claw marks up the wall.

    So far the mansion had been tidy, organised. Ignoring the dust of course. There was a single bullet hole in the wall of one office but no lingering scent of any blood that might have been in it. Whether from age or having been cleaned he couldn’t tell, but the voice informed him it wasn’t important. It had been a means to an end.

    He’d thought at that point to tell Zack about her, for now he was sure it seemed feminine, but when she didn’t try to dissuade him, said the act was irrelevant, it didn’t seem like much of an issue. She wanted him to find her, that much was clear, but so far nothing bad had come from her being in his mind. He could even ignore the invasion of privacy as she dug through some of his apparently repressed memories because it felt familiar. No, not familiar, it felt _familial._ As though she were part of his family. His nonexistent family. So if she _was_ related, he didn’t mind. It didn’t hurt.

    It took Zack leaning on the second floor bookcase in order to find the stairwell. It clearly led to the underground as it let out a short, cold gust of wind. And down they went, losing radio signal. The Pup estimated at least three sub-basement levels beyond the first one, and no doubt the lab was less than a hundred feet below.

    In short order they found the entirety of the underground space. More offices, examination rooms, storage spaces. A sterile and still functioning lab. No blinking lights like the horror films Zack loved, the place had consistant running power, if somewhat outdated circuitry. It was all empty though, all tunnels sealed off with doors welded shut. Zack was still muttering about the _“creepy coffin room”_ they’d found when they entered an attached research library, perfectly clean. No buildup of dust or damage to the books, though some were clearly well-read.

    Neither were expecting to round the desk and find an enormous Nibel Wolf nestled on a pile of books though. That was certainly a surprise. Moreso as it took note of them and huffed as if simply annoyed.

    They stood stock still as it rose, nudging a few books back onto the pile with its nose and sending a few more tumbling off its back as it shook, sending ripples through skin and fur, before trotting off down an open hallway.

**~~~~~~~~~~Zack~~~~~~~~~~**

    “Did you just see-”

    “Yes Pup, I saw the wolf.”

    “It was almost half your height!”

    “I am aware, Zack. But it wasn’t aggressive so lower your voice-”

    “And it just _trots away._ Not even a second look, just shrugs at us and-”

    “Zackary,” he dropped his voice lower, a tone reserved for more serious occasions.

    “Right. Sorry Seph. Let’s check out some of these books, yeah? But if I see it again I am so taking a photo. Geal would _love_ to try and train one of those. He’s been looking at large dog training manuals again.”

  
    “Seph... why are you laughing?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **A/N:** To all you awesome readers, especially **Kitsy** and **Random** who’ve been here from the start, thanks for the support. This has become incredibly hard to write.


	37. My Anjel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Present: Two years. Cloud was furious. Two years he had been applying to join SHINRA’s army, every time a recruiter came to Nibelheim.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **A/N:** Entirely in Nibelheim with Zack and Seph.
> 
> **Disclaimer:** I own nothing but the plot, my writing style, and the occasional drawing.

      The more he read, the less Zack understood. Seph had somehow managed to make his way through a pile of books, having at least some knowledge of the sciences. Zack had never bothered attending those lessons, in Gongaga _or_ as a cadet. He was more of a hack and slash kind a guy.

      They agreed to leave the wolf’s pile alone, in case it came back to the room. That seemed quite likely as they took a closer look around and found tufts of loose fur stuck in corners. Judging by the faint thuds they could hear, it was still somewhere down here, wandering about. He didn’t want to think about what it usually ate, probably Hojo’s leftover experiments. That would explain how abnormal it was. _I don’t care if Seph says that’s within the size range for Nibel Wolves, it’s friggen huge._ Might even explain why it hadn’t attacked. Some strange mutation Hojo cooked up to keep himself company when no one else was willing. The creep. Actually, he felt bad for the wolf if that were the case. No matter, it was still trotting around, the occasional sniff sending an echo down the tunnels

      Turning his gaze back to Sephiroth, he found an actual expression on the General’s face. Frustration, a rather uncommon sight. Maybe Seph understood less about the sciences than he implied. He looked like he could use a break.

      “Hey Seph,” there was no response.

      “Seph… Sephiroth? Sephysephysephi-rooooooth?” Zack moved closer, waving a hand between the book and the man’s face. A blink was the only reaction. He went to snatch the book away, only to be met with increasingly green eyes. They were changing rapidly from the usual rich, dark emerald, to the fluorescent brilliance of mako.

      “...Zack?” the General spoke after a pause. Sephiroth actually _sounding_ troubled was weird. He sounded confused, uncertain. “Is it my nature… to destroy? Even if unintentional-”

      “Uh, duuuuhhh. We’re SOLDIERs-”

      “But I more so than others.” The General turned to survey the unread books. ”Destruction brings me relief, makes me feel alive. I _like_ to destroy. So, is it my nature? Was I made this way?”

      “Look, why don’t we take a break. I don’t know what all _this_ means,” he gestured to the stacks of research material, “but I know Hojo’s writing anywhere and he tends to… twist the truth- Hey! Where are you going?!”

_“Demon of Wutai…”_ the General muttered, walking down one of the tunnels they hadn’t gone through yet. Chuckling, the man added _“Demon indeed,”_ and continued on his way, ignoring Zack’s attempts to interact. When he _did_ finally turn around, they were back in the laboratory section. Just like any of Hojo’s hidden “hives” it gave him the shivers, but he ignored it in favour of observing the light come back into his friend’s eyes. It had never really been gone, but at least the other First seemed more aware of his surroundings now. If the order he gave was any indication, he still wasn’t 100% back yet, but that was better than earlier. Zack had a feeling he should have tried harder to understand some of those books. Whatever information was inside of them had to be serious for this kind of thing to happen.

      “Collect the infantry. Meet me at the reactor.”

**~~~~~~~~~~Seph~~~~~~~~~~**

**My flesh-blood... son-**

      She was near. He could feel the pull, knew the distance. He’d long since left Zack in the mansion. The Pup had tried to follow him, but he would follow orders. He’d bring the infantrymen up whatever the fastest route was.

**My own… perfect! Not perfect… Not his**

      Why was she angry? Not with Sephiroth, she was assuring him, but he couldn’t pick out who she meant. Not whose?

**Come son, help, help me find!**

      Her voice was fading out slightly. He felt the conversation, a different one, taking place where she was. Couldn’t hear the words but knew she wasn’t happy. Talking to someone…

      Sephiroth had never had a mother, or at least none that he knew of. His files were sealed beyond even Tseng’s reach, and he suspected the President’s as well. Professor Hojo was likely the only one with access to his genetic makeup, to his lineage. So all he knew was the name of a woman who supposedly gave birth to him, but the books said otherwise. The books were clinical, unemotional. They listed the mother of Project S as the _female donor,_ but referenced Jenova as something else. Something dark. But she called him son, and despite his precautions, despite logical reasoning, Sephiroth wanted to meet her. If only to have one family member. Just one.

**Family?**

      He couldn’t recall getting to the reactor, how he’d done it or how long it had taken, but he entered and went straight for the chambers.

**Professor… Father… But not** **_him_ **

      Slamming the first enclosed tube open disregarding the hiss of mako hitting his boots, he watched as the _thing_ slumped forwards. Not human, never human. But others would be, he knew. The coma patients, the _volunteers,_ the corpses. All documented as the exposure rates were increased until it became too much too fast and traumatised the body. Until they mutated.

      So one after another he opened chambers, stabbing things to bits if they moved, putting them out of any misery they might experience if the retained any senses, any sentience. And she continued to urge him forward, move closer so that she might see her perfect, but at the same time not perfect, child.

**_Important_ ** **child**

      Urging him forward so that she might enlighten him, tell him of their origins, of _his_ origins. Of the blood related family he has, of the potential for more, for connection. But again that _other_ conversation picks up, the one he can’t hear, and she is annoyed. Agreeing to something, but annoyed.

      And then he ripped down her door, raced to stand before her. Before Mother, even if logically he knew this creature never could have given birth to him.

**~~~~~~~~~~Jenova~~~~~~~~~~**

**My son…** she tried to smile, to no avail. Frozen by Centra, thawed by despicable _humans_ who lost the will to communicate with their own planet, their original life source. Preserved indefinitely by the foolish professor. Living, yes, but alive, no. With all the sentience, the wisdom of her world, such an aged body as hers could never withstand the outside. Such a body as hers cannot move more than a twitch, so as much as she wished to, she could not smile. Only bink tenderly at the image of her son, her successor. _He_ would have to find him. Sephiroth, her son, would **find** her **anjel** and bring him here.

      They spoke at length of reasons, of family. The boy did not react well to news of his father’s identity. She always knew the **scientist** kept him close, but still held him at arms length. Caring, but not monitoring. The _human_ named Rindan was odd like that, but in his own way the man was protecting his son. He’d explained that to her directly, that he knew what she was.

      But Rindan had also explained that he knew Jenova wasn’t evil. Just destructive. And that if his- _their-_ son found out the wrong way, the boy might destroy _himself_ as well as the world around him.

      She didn’t want that. She wanted a chance. A chance to speak with her anjel, to explain. To change his mind and live together, to rule together. They would not be outcasts as they were on Earth. They could dominate the humans, guide them into hearing the planet’s voice once more. So she did her best to explain.

**My son, find my anjel, anjel Mykahyl, my love. I feel him, his arrival, he is here and MINE, no one else’s. Find anjel my son, my beautiful boy, little prince, find him- we will rule this planet my son, filthy humans lost their way.. No longer connected to the planet, no purpose, no life. Killing planet, give them purpose my son, together. Find my anjel.**

      Granted, spending two thousand years in ice and the next twenty or so in mako did funny things to her brain. Sentences seemed, while making perfect sense in her head, to come out horribly wrong. Sephiroth- _son_ \- was confused. That wasn’t helpful, he didn’t understand.

**Find my anjel…** she imparted what images she could. Those beautiful oceanic eyes, roiling like the waves themselves and topped with sea foam. He never knew how beautiful he was, assumed people stared because he was strange, because he was different. Well yes, he had been so very different. The light, the brightness, the _last_ anjel. Hair, so thick, so soft, almost shock white but with hints of gold.

**No?** She imparted as images flashed at her, memories. She’d been in his memories before but these were new, more recent. Not _her_ anjel but… _an_ anjel?

      Jenova shrieked, because it wasn’t her anjel. Younger, so much younger and different, he could only be descendant. He carried Mykahyl’s presence.

**~~~~~~~~~~Zack~~~~~~~~~**

      This place was so backwater Zack was panicking. He didn’t let show, of course not. What kind of First would he be if he panicked at the first sign of trouble. Stupid. So the infantrymen had no idea what was going on. The townspeople had not idea either. But something was _seriously_ wrong with Seph, and even worse he couldn’t tell anyone. _Because fucking Nibelheim has zero gaiadamn signal,_ he continued to swear under his breath. Or, in his head, so the infantry guys wouldn’t overhear.

      And to top it all off, the big ass _wolf_ was following them up to the reactor. No wonder Spike left this place, even if it _was_ to join the Turks.

      Shifting behind Charlie and Alfers, he nudged them faster before moving ahead to clear a swath in the fallen snow. It hadn’t been nearly this bad when they arrived, but the higher up they got the more came down and the harder it became to figure out which direction to go. The only reasons they were still moving forward were his SOLDIER senses pulling towards the heat and mako in the reactor, and the fact that Alfers at least, had noticed the wolf. They very _big_ wolf that was getting closer and-

      Zack paused as the beast ran past them, stopping to look over it’s shoulder straight at him and whining before moving on.

      “Okay guys, I know his personal shit is mostly classified but either Seph’s gone cuckoo and given us the slip or _I’ve_ gone completely insane and think we should follow the big ass fuckin’ wolf,” he shouted, not knowing if the other two could even hear him.

      The wolf nodded at him though, and that seemed like enough of a response.

      “Aight, maybe both. Remind me to order every First into getting a headscan when we get back to Midgar, ‘kay?” he turned back. They were approaching an old bridge, but the wolf continued on. Notably more careful of the fall though. Zack himself should have been more prepared though, when it snapped as he got halfway across. He’d already set the intervals so they wouldn’t overweight the ropes, but he knew now that wasn’t enough.

      Alfers he knew had just barely made it to the other side, was dangling at the top and hoisting himself over the edge. The look in his eyes when that head appeared over the edge once more, staring down at Zack and beyond in horror, helmet no doubt tossed to the side, was plenty enough to know that their third member was not as fortunate.

      Then again, Alfers wasn’t that fortunate either since he couldn’t hear Zack shouting at him. Telling him to move. But the boy was either lost in shock and grief over the friend he’d been joking with just last night, or far enough up that the wind carried voices away before they could be heard. Of all the fucking bahamut sized creatures out here in the middle of frozen fricking nowhere, why’d it have to be an adult dragon?

      No matter what Zack did, he wasn’t fast enough to get there in time. He only managed to finally pull himself up and over the edge in time to see a leg sticking out of the beast’s jaws as it sat staring at the wolf. Dangling was a more appropriate term, based on the visible tendons and gore as the _pieces_ of a leg swung back and forth. The blood misted over the snow, an occasional limb here or there, maybe some organs off to the side. Like a hound with a squirrel, or pup with a chew-toy. He winced at how much that last thought hurt, and hefted his sword.

**~~~~~~~~~~Seph~~~~~~~~~~**

      Betrayal, a burning emotion. He hadn’t experienced it often. The flashes of blond and blue had of course made him think of Cloud, but that wasn’t her intent. Or it hadn’t been, but now she was mad. Mykahyl had betrayed her.

      Mykahyl was, apparently, her unrequited crush from another world. Because his mother was an alien. A demon in love with an anjel, a thought that somehow made sense to Sephiroth.

      As much as she now hated the anjel though, she seemed to have a fondness for his memories of Cloud, playing them over and over in his head. Repeating the word anjel just as many times. But it wasn’t the one she wanted-

**Not mine, not Mykahyl but anjel-**

      Because her’s would be older, looked slightly different. But the similarities were there, the facial features, the fluff of hair. She continued to scream and screech at him of the betrayal, of wanting him to-

**To bring my anjel forth that I might tear him apart for he BELONGS TO ME but he** **_mated_ ** **WHY would he mate? He is-** **_was-..._ ** **mine..**

      So Cloud must be a descendant of the Anjel, like the story from the book in the mansion. The scientific jargon had been all but beyond him, isotopes of mako and whatnot, but the story had made sense-

**There is spawn- pure spawn is beautiful, is innocent, but MY anjel cannot live I will not suffer it-**

_At least Mother’s sentences were more coherent now_ , Sephiroth thought before shaking his head at the title once again. As far as he was concerned he didn’t have _or need_ a mother. But he did want answers and lately _everything_ seemed to revolve around Cloud-

**Yours to keep, to own, to provide for - bring me ANJEL-** she pushed the memories of Earth’s final anjel, likely Cloud’s father, but his attention had wavered. Setting a shrill tone she pulled him towards her with a mental tug, pressuring him into action, into doing as she wished because they were family. Why wouldn’t he?

      And for some odd reason the thought of keeping Cloud-

**_-Clouuuud is YOURS-_ **

      Didn’t seem as unethical as it should have. In fact, he rather liked the idea. No, was infatuated. It would suit his purposes, he would find his answers in the blond. He thought as much through the mental link, giving assurances he would do as mother wished on his own time.

      “We have no transport back to him until the mission is complete. It will take time-”

**-Transport? Foolish, perfect son. No need for** **_human_ ** **methods of transport. Sit! You will learn to walk once more…**

Jenova rambled on. He was admittedly still confused over the scientific aspects of all this, but it no longer seemed to matter, really. Sephiroth didn’t know enough to care.

**~~~~~~~~~~Zack~~~~~~~~~~**

      Both of them. How could he face Angeal and tell the man he lost _both_ of the infantrymen, the smaller division? The ones he was supposed to protect. Even more, how was he supposed to explain… whatever was going on with Sephiroth?

      He was leaning on a gigantic Nibel Wolf, walking up a frozen mountain towards a reactor where his commanding officer slash best friend was doing who knows what and probably still muttering about demons.

      That’s it, maybe he could blame everything on Seph. Or at least make the General do all the paperwork. Yeah, that might work.

      Entering the reactor, he could already hear Seph talking. To himself, apparently, because there were no other voices. Still, he kept his guard up as he made his way to the inner chambers where the silver First was seated on the floor. Dismembered… _things_ , were strewn about the space, empty mako pods wrenched open, metal hinges torn and twisted.

      Allowing his footsteps to be a little louder than necessary, he made sure Seph knew he was there. Wasn’t a bright idea to sneak up behind the man, as Reno and he had discovered quite some time ago. There was still a slight dent in the Turk’s skull and Zack himself had an actual scar from the masamune. Just a little one, but that had been hell’a spooky enough for him to swear to _never, ever_ do anything stupid like that again. He hadn’t even _needed_ that lecture from Angeal.

      Much as ‘Geal had told him, first step is always to make sure Seph can hear you, can tell someone’s there. So he walked a few more steps and tried to come around in front of the man. Instead, he got distracted by the glowing magenta eyes and weird blue skinned chick that seemed to have wings, trapped floating in a large mako tube.

      After sufficient gawking and flailing of arms, Zack eventually turned around to check on Seph again, to find him now standing upright, staring straight at him.

      “There is something I must attend to. Find transport back to Midgar,” the General said, swirling about with the usual dramatic flair and walking away.

      “Seph? What hell are yo-SEPH?!” Zack yelped in amazement and slight horror as the other First dissolved into navy and dark purple mists, running towards the last spot Sephiroth had stepped on.

      A few seconds passed as his brain tried to comprehend what had happened, though he snapped out of it as the wolf bounded in and gave him a shove from behind. With that he was off, sprinting at SOLDIER speed for the town phone, checking his PHS for signal the whole way down.

      As he reached the outskirts, the Strife house, signal picked up completely and he abandoned his race for the phone at the inn, hitting the speed-dial for Angeal on complete autopilot. Zack made no attempt at controlling his breathing, only sucking in a gasp of air as soon as he heard the line connect. Angeal couldn’t even finish his greeting before Zack let out a quick shout. It was his panic tone, and the first word was, as always, “ **_ANGEAAAALLLLL!_ ** _“_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **A/N:** Fake sciencey shit is hard to explain. Will do more with that when Hojo is explaining.


	38. Lots of Thoughts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Present: Two years. Cloud was furious. Two years he had been applying to join SHINRA’s army, every time a recruiter came to Nibelheim.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **A/N:** Chapters are kinda all over the place yo. So is life.
> 
> **Disclaimer:** I own nothing but the plot, and my writing style.

        Chaos wouldn’t stop grumbling in his brain on the way to the mansion after he’d left Ayira’s house. He knew now why the demons were upset, although at this point he ought not to be calling them that. They weren’t comprised of demonako. Or… at least he didn’t  _ think _ they were. Rindan never had explained the entirety of what he’d done to save Vincent after Lucre-

        - **_More important things, host-_ ** Chaos interrupted.

        Right, no need to think of her. There were other people in his life now, people more important to him than she was. But her son was here, and he wasn’t supposed to be. Much of Rindan Hojo’s research indicated the boy shouldn’t be in contact with Jenova. Something about retained sentience and resonance. Or was it reunion? Despite the scientist’s attempted explanations Vincent still couldn’t comprehend that Jenova was technically still living, still aware of the world around her. Not that it mattered. Sephiroth wasn’t supposed to come in contact with her, and some of the research in the library would point in that direction. So he made his way there first.

**~~~~~~~~~~Nyk~~~~~~~~~~**

        The bat-man was home, he knew. Could smell the gunman before he entered the house. Bat-Man didn’t have much of a smell to begin with, mostly dust and gun oils, but they spent a lot of time together now that Cloud was gone. He knew Bat-Man’s name was Viva, but he got along better with the  _ others, _ the one with wings and the other beast, so he called them Bat-Man. Much easier than too many different names. But that didn’t matter. What did matter was when Bat-Man went to the library and started throwing Cloud’s things on the floor, because as far as Nykulos was concerned  _ everything _ in the mansion belonged to Cloud. 

        Wonderful Cloud who let him chase mean boys away, who took him hunting. Tilo hunted but she never gave him anything she caught, he had to catch his own. Cloud always gave him something because he wouldn’t eat all of what he caught. Cloud ate like a bird, Tilo ate like… he couldn’t think that hard right now, but he missed Cloud. And Bat-Man was throwing Cloud’s staring papers on the floor. Cloud loved staring at the papers for hours, so they reminded him of his blond packmate.

        He didn’t know what Bat-Man planned to do with Cloud’s staring papers, but Nykulos wouldn’t let him move them from this room. This was where Cloud kept them, and this was where those papers would stay until cloud came back. So with a loud snort he kicked a few of the thrown books back into the pile Bat-Man was making and laid down on top. Bat-Man only spared him decidedly resigned sigh, turning to leave. 

**~~~~~~~~~~Viva~~~~~~~~~~**

        As much as he wished he could burn the books, he knew Nykulos wouldn’t budge. The wolf hadn’t even let him change the bed sheets in the room he used when he stayed at the mansion. Wouldn’t let him change anything, really. So he abandoned his efforts. Most of the relevant information about Sephiroth and Cloud was in Rindan’s illegible handwriting, and full of scientific jargon at that, and there were more important things to be doing. Like checking on Jenova. If he had any time he’d circle back and destroy the books once the wolf moved, but it was clear that unless he wanted to kill Nykulos in the process, it wasn’t happening. He couldn’t physically move the beast unless he let one of the others out, and they were more likely to side with the wolf. Except Chaos maybe, who had more knowledge of what was going on in relation to the planet, but he’d really rather not do that. If Chaos decided to take a leisurely flight where SOLDIERs just so happened to be walking around it could be a problem.

        With that in mind he headed towards the reactor, towards Jenova, all the while trying to convince Chaos not to take over. It wasn’t so bad when agreed to transform, but Chaos made a habit of doing it anyway which hurt worse than nearly dying in Rindan’s office. 

        Despite his struggling though, Chaos seemed to have other things on his mind, things the creature deemed more important than his host’s pitiful human woes. He could only do his best not scream before being pushed to the far corners of his own gaia-damned mind.

**~~~~~~~~~~Nyk~~~~~~~~~~**

        It seemed like only a short time later, Nykulos felt the change. In an environment like his mountains (because no wolf would deny the Nibel mountains were  _ his) _ it wasn’t hard to sense predators near by. Anything with enough power to be considered a threat set his senses off.

        This time there were three things, though separate. He was fairly certain Bat-Man was one of them, the winged part. That one’s presence was familiar, yet distant. Likely out on the mountain somewhere. 

        The other two were in the mansion now, had been in the town as of yesterday. One less of a dominant force, with a somewhat confusing scent. Almost like one of his own kind, so he wasn’t concerned. The other was... oddly familiar. Unfriendly, but familiar from a very long time ago. It had definitely gotten stronger since last he felt and smelt it, and it, along with the other, was wandering about. He couldn't remember this much noise accompanying this presence before, so the wolf assumed it was the other causing such a racket. 

        He was half tempted to see what they were doing, what they were looking for, but ended up not needing to move. In some length of time the pair of scents made their way down, into the library, and he knew why that presence was familiar. The stubborn silver-haired boy from Cloud’s younger years, the one who all but ignored his Cloud. The one who made Cloud hide in the mako caves and cry where no one could see or hear him.

        Letting out a derisive  _ huff _ , the wolf briefly shot a look at each of them before trotting off towards the reactor tunnel. Perhaps he should check on Bat-Man, just to keep him in sights. If he was with Bat-Man, nothing would happen to the staring papers. As much he despised the silver-haired human for treating Cloud like an inconvenience, the youth loved staring papers just as much as his blond.

 

**~~~~~~~~~~Angeal~~~~~~~~~~**

        He wasn’t easily angered, everyone knew that. It was one of the things he prided himself on because when he  _ was _ mad, it scared people. They’d back away from him the same way civilians did to the Turks. Even Zack had shied away, the one time he’d gotten truly cross with the Pup. He’d been so mad he couldn’t remember what the whole thing was about, and Zack had looked like he thought he might get hit. That’s what had finally snapped him out of it, that stab of guilt shooting through him at straining the Pup’s trust, and he’d made it a priority to never again get so angry he couldn’t remember why. Today though, he knew why he was mad. Actually, he knew  _ who _ he was mad at. Not why. There were several reasons he could think of to be mad at the Turks, at one Turk in particular. He couldn’t get Tseng out of his head.

        For whatever reason, Tseng had turned a fourteen year old into a Turk. The Wutaian was being more evasive than usual on the rare occasions they talked. He was having regular meetings with  _ Hojo _ of all people, and so was Gen. Sephiroth had dragged Zack to a different continent without asking because he was upset, Genesis was practically living in the labs with the Professor because  _ he _ was upset, Hollander was upset because Genesis wasn’t showing up to his appointments, and Angeal had finally become frustrated to the point it made him  _ mad. _ All because of a much too young blond Turk that  _ Tseng _ had picked up from who knows where. It didn’t matter if Reno had been with him on the mission, this was  _ Tseng’s _ fault.

        He’d been sitting in his apartment fuming at the man for that past day or two, not even bothering to check on Genesis. His friend was too absorbed in monitoring Cloud. Now though, he was carefully planning out the lecture, trying to develop it enough to get his point across, so he’d confront Tseng tomorrow. Nevertheless, Angeal was mad. On the rare occasions he ventured out to the vending machines, several Seconds would scurry out of their way, pulling newer Thirds with them. He wondered if this was how Sephiroth felt sometimes. Then again, this was closer to what happened when Tseng strolled through the halls. Especially if the man was smiling, that seemed to terrify everyone.

        Angeal thought it wasn’t that bad of a smile, but he shoved the thought away in favour of being mad. He suddenly found himself a distraction from such thoughts though, to hear his ringtone for the Pup blare out at the loudest volume. Being less technologically inclined, he still hadn’t figured out how to change the ringtone, or how this one got there in the first place. He put it back at the top of his priority list though, cringing as the recording of Reno’s horrible and obviously drunk singing voice managed to yell out the basic lyrics to “Who Let The Dogs Out.”

        Answering the incoming call didn’t seem to improve the noise much, since before he could get out his usual greeting Zack’s panicked screaming came through the line.

**~~~~~~~~~~Hojo~~~~~~~~~~**

        As head of the science department he always had so many things to be doing. On top of keeping SOLDIER injections on schedule, he had to place Lieutenant Fair in one of the observation rooms now that he’d been brought back. The boy was his usual self, save for incessant ramblings of dark smokey mist and Sephiroth disappearing into thin air. Oh, and the quoted _ “blue chick in the reactor.” _ Which meant that his son also probably came in contact with Jenova’s shell of a body. He’d should have expected they’d arrive in Nibelheim eventually, should have been more prepared. 

        So it was understandable that he’d disregarded the first movements as he darted in and out of his labs to grab various tools and equipment. He was confident Genesis would inform him of any notable changes. Now though, he stood looking down at Ayira’s little Storm Puff and payed  _ much  _ closer attention. Because Cloud’s eyelashes were beginning to quiver again, as though he might be awake but not ready to open his eyes. There was minimal movement behind the closed lids, but it was there. And soon enough those cerulean jewels opened, if only to stare blankly at the ceiling for a while.

        With Genesis sucking in a breath of relief behind him, he began the usual round of basic tests and questions. There was a large lump of concern buried somewhere inside at the lack of response he got, but the moment Cloud did finally speak he recognised that same cheeky, curious young blond from so many years ago.

_         “Uncle Rin… too loud,” _ Cloud had offered, just above a whisper.

        Whether or not there was lasting damage, he couldn’t tell yet. He would find out as soon as possible, but for now he started with turning the sound down on the monitoring devices. 

 

**~~~~~~~~~~Seph~~~~~~~~~~**

        He wouldn’t fail as miserably this time, that was certain. The new ability Mother had helped him discover would make things go much smoother, and he’d be prepared.

        When he’d appeared back in Midgar he’d stumbled a bit, but quickly regained his balance. The more he practiced, the easier it felt, even if Mother’s voice didn’t reach him anymore. They were too far apart, but he could feel her support in the back of his mind. Whether she agreed or disagreed, if she wanted something. It took a while to figure it out sometimes, but they worked well together to plan the rescue, no wait, it was a kidnapping wasn’t it? His thoughts were still muddled slightly, but somehow it didn’t seem like there was a difference between the two. Cloud belonged to him anyway, Mother had promised. Only  _ after _ everything was sorted out would he worry about the biological implications of this newest change.

        He’d not been inside this warehouse for years now, wasn’t even sure the company remembered building it. Not that it mattered, he’d bought it from the President as soon as they were done using it for business purposes. He’d used some businessman as a proxy to make the purchase for him, so it wasn’t listed in his files or possessions. Any of his possessions were technically the company’s, though he could feel Mother’s faint disapproval of the thought, but he’d avoided that issue entirely by paying the man in cash. The guy had been leaving Midgar anyway.

        It was sparsely furnished yet completely secure, moreso he suspected, than the Turks own apartments. One of the few places he could escape to that the Turks didn’t know about. That not even Angeal and Genesis knew about. He hadn’t met them at that point, and had never told them afterwards, choosing instead to find one of the Banora natives after long sessions with Hojo rather than return here.  _ Ah, and there’s another disturbing thought.  _ Hojo, his biological  _ father.  _

        So empty as it was, devoid of personal touches, it was the perfect place. He’s the only one who knows the security codes for it, the only one who knows where the entrances and exits are. Making sure the seals were all still in place, he began to tidy things up a bit. It would need quite a bit of… dusting, he supposed, before it’d be ready for guests. For  _ his _ guest,  _ Cloud.  _ And of course, he had to be certain Cloud couldn’t get  _ out _ once he brought him inside. Reminded of the last time, he added medical supplies to his mental shopping list.  _ And maybe a new couch. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **A/N: If there are any plot holes please tell me, it’s very hard to keep track of everything.**


	39. A… Virus, Of Sorts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Present: Two years. Cloud was furious. Two years he had been applying to join SHINRA’s army, every time a recruiter came to Nibelheim.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Disclaimer:** I own nothing but the plot, and my writing style.

        Vincent didn’t know how he’d gotten back to the house, didn’t know what Chaos had done with his body while he was out, but he was glad for Ayira’s warm presence slouched against the couch he lay stretched out on. Even more so for the black mug of hot tea sitting on a coaster on the end table. She must have just fallen asleep then, because it was still steaming lightly. It was English Breakfast tea, thee only thing that seemed to quell his headaches. He was so full of mako and… other things, that common pain medications had no effect. He still owed Hojo a thanks for saving him, but for this he could curse the man. Chaos seemed to like that idea.

        Sitting up now, he tried to recall some of what happened. He knew they’d gone to the reactor, but not why, or what happened. Which of course meant that Jenova was involved, but what had Chaos done? The beast wasn’t answering. Instead, all he got were pieces, bits and glimpses of standing in front of her tank, of _talking_ to her. That didn’t bode well, but a growl at the door distracted him before he could process the thought. _Nykulos, of course._ He opened the door to let the wolf in.

        Whatever he had just been thinking about, he couldn’t remember it now. Although he could feel Chaos had something to do with that, hiding some of their shared memories away into a darker corner somewhere. He laid back down on the couch and was just about to fall asleep again when Mayor Lockhart started screaming outside.

        Tifa, apparently, had left her father a note stating she’d run off to join AVALANCHE. Perhaps that’s who the strange men in the forest were. _But when did I see strange men in the forest?_

**~~~~~~~~~~Angeal~~~~~~~~~~**

        A week. Zack had been in observation for a week. As glad as he was that Cloud had woken up, much to Gen’s delight, he was still uncomfortable with the Pup in Hojo’s care. He’d said as much, but they were still here. Zack sound asleep after a healthy round of squats. Although, he _had_ heard Zack muttering about _‘the blue chick’_ and Sephiroth disappearing into thin air.

        “I’d feel more comfortable if Hollander could take a look at him…” he prompted again, watching Hojo shake his head in response. The scientist was bustling about the lab running samples through most if not all of the machines. Most of the vials said _STRIFE,_ which he knew to be Cloud, but here and there he caught glimpses of vials with FAIR on them. It made him uncomfortable.

        He’d heard stories from Sephiroth, of the things Hojo did when he was younger. Of the sterile documentation of how long bones healed, or poisons took to get out of his system. He and Gen both had tried to talk the silver First into switching to Hollander, but Hollander wouldn’t touch him and Sephiroth never agreed. He seemed to think Hojo wasn’t all that bad, despite the facts and other rumours. Angeal didn’t normally listen to rumours, but the ones about Hojo… Honestly _everyone_ listened to those. No one wanted to cross the scientist, but they all hated him. Except for Sephiroth, and then the Pup when he was assigned to the man for mako enhancements. And Genesis, for some unfathomable reason, had taken to treating the man like a father. Because of Cloud, who also had some odd relationship with the Professor. That still didn’t mean Angeal had to like him though, or that he couldn’t ask questions.

        “You haven’t reported what, exactly, the issue is here Professor. Can I at least know that much?” he asked, not really expecting a verbal response. Hojo was off in his own world, absorbed in the sciences and usually only grunted, cackled, or nodded yes or no. To his surprise though, the man responded.

        “Your former pupil, if you must know Hewley, has come in contact with a… virus, of sorts.” The scientist paused to drag a hand down his face. Now that he noticed it, the man looked more stressed than Angeal himself felt. “Extremely unpredictable. If Sephiroth were here he’d be in a similar situation, do not doubt.”

        That only served to make him more concerned, though he tried not to let it show. For this to cause concern over even Sephiroth’s health…. He genuinely hoped the silver First returned soon. Officially the General was on a discreet mission but unofficially he was AWOL. Shinra wasn’t doing anything about it just yet since they didn’t know what happened in Nibelheim, so for now they were just waiting to see if the silver First showed up. The thought that he could be somewhere, suffering though… it prompted his next question.

        “Is it contagious?”

        “Only to those with dem-” the scientist cut himself off, clicking a pen. “Yes, but only to a certain few,” he gestured at Angeal.

        “SOLDIER? It only affects SOLDIER?” he asked. Now Hojo turned to look at him, studying his face.

        “No, not SOLDIER in general.” Hojo shook his head. “The SOLDIER _Generals._ To Sephiroth, you, and Genesis. It shouldn’t affect Fair here, but I can’t risk him being a conduit. I would explain the science behind but it might be a bit... beyond you,” he turned back to his work.

        Turning back to the glass, Angeal eyed the room once more. It was sparse, but there were a few comfort items and electrical outlets. He resolved to bring the Pup’s game console down to give him something to do. For some unfamiliar reason, he didn’t think Hojo would mind that. Still, it couldn’t hurt to check in with Genesis and see what had changed his opinion of the scientist.

**~~~~~~~~~~Angeal~~~~~~~~~~**

        When he did finally track Genesis down, he was a little surprised to hear shouting from Tseng’s apartment. The scene he walked into was, to be honest, kind of funny.

        The young blond was sitting on the bed that pulled out of Tseng’s fancy couch, completely surrounded in mountains of pillows and blankets, with Tseng on his left holding a glass of what smelled like a healthy fruit smoothie and plain toast, and Genesis on his right trying to pull the boy’s shirt off and talking non-stop.

        “I’m serious, they need to be washed! You’re sweating all over the place it’s be easier if you didn’t bother with clothes at all!”

        Cloud was shaking his head, refusing to lift his arms to let the shirt be pulled over his head, sending hungry glances at the piece of toast in Tseng’s hand.

        “Cloud, you’re too warm. Take the shirt off and you can have the toast,” Tseng gestured at the blond with the toast. It was so amazingly domestic, so out of character for the both of them, well, maybe not Genesis, but to see the feared leader of the Turks trying to bribe the boy with toast, Angeal couldn’t help but smile, setting aside his worries for just this moment.

        Cloud had, after looking at the toast once more, turned those bright eyes Angeal’s direction, clearly pleading for a rescue.

        “How long have they been doing this?” he asked, causing the other two to turn towards him. Gen muttered something about perfect timing and ordered him to assist them in removing Cloud’s shirt. He shook his head.

        He had to admit though, seeing Tseng act so… caring, made his heart warm. He’d been having lots of thoughts like that lately.

**~~~~~~~~~~Cloud~~~~~~~~~~**

        The same day Angeal had come over and thankfully taken Genesis away for a while, Uncle Rin came up and finally cleared him for activity. There weren’t many changes except the slow bonding process he’d been in since entering Midgar was slightly faster now. Not actively gaining speed, just a bit faster. It took another four days before Tseng and Genesis let him out of the pillow nest for longer than it took to take a piss. Seriously, if he was in the bathroom for more than two minutes they started knocking on the door.

        Today though, he was finally getting to train. Tseng was called away to meet with Rufus and had left him with Reno, who already knew most of what was going on. They overrode the security codes and locked themselves in one of the gyms to work on hand to hand and spent the better part of the day at it.

        He could feel something different, but couldn’t pinpoint it. It likely had something to do with the anjemako bonds forming, or maybe the conversations with the fucking lifestream. Or was it the planet? He still wasn’t too sure about that. Maybe they were one and the same. He resolved to speak with Rindan about it the next day and ask a few other questions. Like what exactly the mako isotopes did. His godfather had explained _what_ the isotopes were, but what their function was. Not what it would do to his body, considering he was feeling notably stronger after being in a planet-imposed coma.

        For now though, he settled for egging Reno on inviting Rude to join them, and soundly beating the crap out of both of them. He didn’t feel like hiding the skills Viva taught him now that he wasn’t pretending to be a cadet. He could use them in full force and rather enjoyed the frustration  in his fellow Turks eyes. Especially since he could actually _see_ Rude’s eyes, since he’d broken the man’s sunglasses and stolen the spare he kept in a pocket.

        “Dude, I didn’ even see ‘at one yo. When’dya take those?” Reno had asked as Cloud spun the spare glasses on a finger.  Oh how he was enjoying this.  
  
        Something in the back of his mind continued to urge him to be careful though, to stay aware of everything and everyone. Like something was supposed to happen. It wasn’t a good feeling, wasn’t a bad one either. But it felt so good just to move again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **A/N:** Been holding onto this piece ‘cause it didn’t feel finished just yet. Kinda short, yeah.


	40. Temporary Plateau

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Present: Two years. Cloud was furious. Two years he had been applying to join SHINRA’s army, every time a recruiter came to Nibelheim.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **A/N:** Short chapter, yes, but inspiration came back so more to follow. Aiming chap 41 for Easter weekend. 
> 
> **Disclaimer:** I own nothing but the plot, and my writing style.

        He knew, he just knew something was going to happen, and when it finally did he still wasn’t prepared for it. To be honest, no-one could have been, but at least his body didn’t literally try to shut down this time.

        It had been a week and half since his return to daily life, if it could be called such. Everyone was still on high alert and anxiously waiting for the General to show up again and hoping he wasn’t turning against the company. They had picked his custom weapons up from Octina the second day, spent a few days training with them, a few more days doing computer-related work, and two days egging cadets into fights. The first group had seen Cloud carrying what looked like a stack of papers while walking next to Reno, and made the mistake of calling him a secretary. 

        Granted, they couldn’t have known it was a mistake because his status as a part-time Turk was, obviously, never announced to the company, but still, stupid move. He’d simply handed Reno the object, which was some insane idea of a device Reeve had put together for them to sneak into Scarlet’s apartment, and pulled one of his blades from part of his suit. They proceeded to spend as much time possible scaring other cadets shitless before the whole lot of them figured it out, and towards the end even Elena had joined in. Just a little bit though, so she wasn’t caught when Tseng found out what they’d been up to. Misuse of authority or whatever.

        Now though, a week and a half later, Cloud still had that foreboding feeling and the reason for it appeared out of thin air.  _ Okay maybe more of a purplish mist…. _ But either way, no one expected the silver General to materialise on the outdoor training grounds. The same field Reno had decided was the best tanning spot in all of Midgar, even if the sun never appeared. The same field they were arguing with a SOLDIER Third Instructor over. The same field Cloud was stepping onto. But there he was in all of his black leather glory, hair flipping about with a mind of its own. He didn’t know where the instinct came from, but Cloud took one glance at Reno and made a split second decision. To run.

        Ultimately it didn’t make a difference though. He was the only one to so much as twitch a muscle in the seconds it took for Sephiroth’s eyes to slide over towards his movement. No one was between them and he could feel the headache coming on, but his body still followed instructions. He still tried to run, even knowing in that moment it was futile. 

**~~~~~~~~~~Tseng~~~~~~~~~~**

        “Again.”

        “Seriously?”

        “Just do it.”

        “We’ve already watched it a billion times, sped up, slow-motion, and backwards Tseng. ’M tellin you, I’as there, there wasn’t any stopping him an no hints’bout where they went to.”

        “RENO. Play. It. Back.”

        “Fair wasn’t crazy bossman, serious. Into thin air, no precursor, nothin left.”

        Tseng moved a hand to thumb his forehead, halting the movement half way as he realised it’d become a habit. He’d formed a lot of those lately, little ticks and tells to anyone who knew him. Dangerous things to a turk. But it was hard not to when Cloud was round. Except Cloud wasn’t around right now, that was the issue. They were all having a hard time staying in Turk Mode now that their chicobo was missing.  _ Chicobo... yet another bad habit.  _

        True to what Reno said though, the security recordings left no indication of where the pair had gone. Genesis was currently locked in an observation cell until he calmed down, though Tseng doubted it’d hold the Red General for long, and Angeal was keeping Hojo away from Zack while the scientist raged and ranted and threw needles at anyone that came too close. He wasn’t sure if that was part of the ‘mad scientist act’ or if this time the man had really snapped.  The rest of the available turks were scouring the corners of Midgar and monitoring surveillance feeds from every location they had access to while Rufus tried to explain to his father what on Gaia was going on. If he’d thought Sephiroth developing a teleportation skill was even a remote possibility, this is exactly what his nightmares could have been. Except now it was reality.

**~~~~~~~~~~Cloud~~~~~~~~~~**

        As soon as his gut stopped churning from the sudden change in location, Cloud started spewing insults. It was more than he’d said in a while, despite frequent banter with Tseng and the two redheads. 

        He’d just finished with “ _ Good for nothing, arrogant, lazy, glorified sack of zolom excrement! Put me down this instant you hear me? Do you need hearing aids you fucking selectively deaf pansy ass of a swine? PUT ME DOWN-”  _ when he was thrown against something soft. Playing off of the slight bounce, he took the moment to pull his twin blades out and face the idiot, though what felt like lightening began pulsing through his limbs with every motion. Nothing could stop the glare he leveled at Sephiroth though, who was standing still and watching. Just watching.

        “Asshole.” Cloud shifted, trying to edge his way to a wall, any wall, to put his back against. His peripheral indicated he’d been thrown on what otherwise might have been quite the comfortable couch, but that would only provide so much cover. He didn’t have any time to think about the whole  _ teleportation _ thing, didn’t want to. Still though, Sephiroth just watched.

        “Lap-dog, poster-boy, turn-coat, recreant, iconoclast-” that last one made Sephiroth’s eye twitch, “what the fuck do you think you’re doing? You have responsibilities, you can’t just up and leave! Everyone in SOLDIER is counting on you to keep them out of the labs, out of public discrimination, and you go  _ dilly-dallying _ around doing bahamut knows what and just  _ have _ to drag  _ me _ into all of this from the middle of training after ten fucking years-”

        “Mother has allowed my actions. She said you are mine, so you can answer our-  _ my _ \- questions. My questions…” Sephiroth cut in, only to trail off towards the end and walk towards an open doorway. Cloud could only stare in confusion for a time, but after minutes passed and the General didn’t return, he made to follow after.  No intention to get  _ too _ close, but if he maintained the earlier distance hopefully it wouldn’t trigger anything. Leaning against the doorway. He could see Sephiroth in a sparse kitchen space, making instant oatmeal packets.

        “You don’t have a mother. You never did.”

**~~~~~~~~~~Seph~~~~~~~~~~**

        How could the Anjel say that? Of course he had a mother, just like everyone else. He didn’t realise he’d dropped the bowl of dry oatmeal until it shattered on the floor, but even then he ignored it in favour of staring at the blond. Little Anjel, that’s what he’d decided on calling him.  _ Cloud _ worked just as well but other people called him that. Little Anjel was something only he would call the blond. But right now he could faintly feel mother’s disapproval.

        “Yes I do. Mother was in Nibelheim all along. You could never hear her, you aren’t her son. But you  _ are _ mine.  _ He _ was supposed to be Mother’s, but you happened instead. You’re too young for her, so you’re mine.”

        “Mothers don’t talk to you inside your own head! You’re mother was  _ Lucrecia,  _ a scientist who turned you into an experiment before you were even-” Cloud cut off as the silver First’s pupils narrowed even further into slits, so much that from the right angle his eyes would appear without them.

        “Lucrecia? I’ve never heard th- no. I  _ have _ heard that name.  _ Lucrecia Crescent, _ the Professor speaks of her often,” Sephiroth paused in thought. “Of course,  _ you _ knew already. In the lab, the two of you were arguing-”

        “ _ YES  _ Sero _ ,  _ because he  _ lied _ to you! He had  _ no choice, _ Shinra would have had him killed! Your mother was a scientist! A zolom-shit crazy scientist who stabbed her womb with-”

        “Who is Jenova if not my mother then? Why does she speak to me? WHy does she care? What… I saw her, what is she? How are you involved in this?” the General questioned with increasing uncertainty. He paused, feeling Mother’s discomfort. To have a  _ mother… _ had he been so desperate? That  _ thing _ in the reactor, he knew he wasn’t human but  _ that? _ And he’d left Zack stranded on another continent in his haste. There were still too many questions, too much to learn. Her presence was still there, faintly, in his mind, but he pressed on.

        “I need to know what is going on. Why is my  _ father _ taking care of you? Why are you a Turk? You’re not like them, like any of them. Well, Genesis and Angeal maybe. Mo-  _ She  _ says they are my step-brothers, that you are  _ mine _ but  _ why _ are you mine? What  _ is _ she?” he paused, suddenly recalling what Little Anjel had said. He could feel the mako thundering around, making his eyes burn so much brighter in curiosity, confusion, frustration. “He always called me Sero… Mother forgot to mention it was you…” Sephiroth took a step towards the blond. 

        So familiar, he knew there was more to it. Hojo taking an interest in someone, being protective. Why Nibelheim had sounded so familiar.  _ She _ was there, had always been there, and he grew up there with his fa-  _ the Professor- _ with the young one that borrowed his books and played with the coffin man. So suddenly a hoard of lost memories had been returned and he’d made the connection. He took another step towards Little Anjel, but faltered upon seeing the younger wince, visually scanning him for injuries. Perhaps he’d thrown him at the couch too hard… No, that wasn’t it. It was like last time, when he got closer. 

        “You are remaining conscious this time, at least. She didn’t understand that bit, neither of us really. If light and dark must coexist as in the story, why does my presence pain you?”

**~~~~~~~~~~Cloud~~~~~~~~~~**

        “Long story,” Cloud huffed. Clearly the man wasn’t stable, or sane, at the moment. He wasn’t sure how much of the scientific background Sero understood to begin with. He’d never had an interest in listening when Hojo taught Cloud in Nibelheim. But the General’s mental state seemed to have reached a temporary plateau, enough for clearer thoughts to drift through despite being mixed with jumbled messages about  _ her. _

_         Mother, _ he could only assume, had to be Jenova, the original Demon from Earth somehow retaining sentience despite her body’s state of imprisonment. Uncle Rin had said as much might happen. It left concerns that his own father was out there somewhere, still hunting him down, but he could think about that later. After the General calmed down and he could either escape or tell someone where they were. If he could figure that out.

        “If Uncle Rin could explain you might understand more. It’s hard to explain-”

        “So start talking. No one will find us here, not unless I tell them.”

        Cloud held his hands up in front of him. Sero was practically surrounded in an aura of tension, and he had to calm that down before they could attempt anything. Taking his own step towards the somewhat insane First, he meant to attempt to reassure him. Instead he regretted it instantly as the wave of nausea hit, but he had to get over this eventually. Another step forward, another wince of pain, and this time he couldn’t hold back his stomach contents.

        Sero was moving in an instant, around to the side to catch him as he fell to his knees, arms wrapped around his torso, but that only made it worse. It took several moments of frantic gesturing for the man to understand he needed to move further  _ away _ , not closer, but eventually he toed the trashcan nearer and backed off.

        Clearly they had a lot of information to cover. He just wasn’t sure the General was sane enough to hear it all. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **A/N:** Decided to rewrite this fic but not until the whole thing is _**DONE**_ so ya don’t have to wait so long yo. Started out so detailed and now it's not, plus there are a lot of errors and continuity problems.


	41. Was All About The Isotopes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a summary from Seph to refresh your memory. Sort of. So much shit has happened it’s too weird to have the old summary. No more summaries. Summaries suck. Boo.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **A/N:** Trying to explain things easier. Let me know if it makes sense.
> 
> **Disclaimer:** I own nothing but the plot, and my writing style.

          The General had a lot to think about. So much that everything he  _ thought _ he knew about his past, his origins, and the strange little Anjel on his couch had turned out to be either completely false, or twisted in lies. Additionally, there was a foreign consciousness in his head that was clearly  _ not _ his mother, but was still familiar and comforting. Her feelings still mingled with his thoughts, and he couldn’t shake the urge to call Cloud Strife his  _ Little Anjel, _ or the occasional slip up of saying  _ mother _ when he intended to say  _ She. _ He’d sat down in his designated room in the warehouse space to recall what all he knew so far. It was actually a considerable amount, yet despite knowing so much he didn’t understand the  _ meaning _ behind most of it. He was filled with the most bitter frustration he’d felt in his life.

          What the blond had told him yesterday, combined with what he’d gleaned from mother in Nibelheim and what he felt from her now, he built a mental timeline of the events.

          The story Ayira Strife had told the people of Nibelheim, it was true. That much could be agreed on. Every planet has a balanced amount of two mako isotopes, one negatively charged and destructive, the other positively charged and more of a healing force. People containing the isotopes are, respectively, called demons and anjels. Or at least they were on Earth, since no one knew about them on Gaia. Due to the nature of the isotopes, demons were outcast because they destroyed things, even if it was unintentional. Anjels self isolated because the rest of the people treated them with such deference they no longer felt human. As a result of this, they only bred with each other and the bloodlines narrowed down until only one anjel and one demon remained. The anjel Mykahyl had been running away from the demon Jenova, who was obsessed- he could feel her displeasure at the word- with Mykahyl. In the reactor, she’d explained it as love, not obsession, but he didn’t see much of a difference.

          Mykahyl eventually fled to other planets to escape her, using what power the isotope gave him to condense himself into a ball of energy to travel the stars. After moping and brooding for some time, Jenova eventually realised if she stayed on Earth the unbalanced isotopes would destroy the planet. She realised this too late however, as that happened anyway, and she barely managed to make it into space ahead of the implosion.

          After that, she chased him from planet to planet in an attempt to reach him, to explain how she felt, but he just kept running. In energy form they never aged, but she couldn’t tell how much time had passed. Most planets he only stayed for a short time in fear of destroying it. They’d circled back to the remains of Earth a few times for him to realise what had caused it and that put a terror in him like no other. He was frantic and panicked, and that’s what allowed her to read his movements enough that she  _ knew _ what planet was next, but she hadn’t the speed to overcome him and get there first. And so she condensed her existence as a ball of energy even further and used a final surge to try something. She didn’t know if it would work, but it did, and all at once she was back in the past, but farther ahead, crashing into the one planet she  _ knew _ he would end up at eventually. And so Jenova had landed on Gaia.

          Of course, the people there, who had only just begun to outcast their demons as breeding naturally condensed the separate isotopes, knew the danger of demons and in both awe and fear of her power sent her off to the rest of their demons, huddled but living happily in the north. There she stayed for a time before remembering the equilibrium, and around the time the anjels of Gaia came to speak of the matter she asked for one thing. With no way of knowing when Mykahyl would arrive, or how far back in time she had come, they sealed her away in the farthest north reaches, in the crater of an old meteor in mako infused ice. Preserved but inactive until the time came that Mykahyl arrived and they would release her as per her request.

          As time passed however, and Mykahyl still had not arrived, the same thing that happened on Earth began to happen on Gaia. The people began to lose their connection to the planet, the shared knowledge from past, present, and potential. The natural mako born into them receded into the planet and they became simple humans. What few left with the connection, with powers of the planet, were hunted down in anger, in jealousy, until so few were left that they could not be found or identified apart from normal humans. These they called Cetra, or ancients. Resulting from this, Jenova was forgotten in her crater, aware but not awake, alive but not living. 

          Around the time her wings began to decay, the humans explored the area and found her. The native isotopes here had dwindled down during her encasement to the last few, and when those passed on Gaia renewed the cycle, spreading them thinly throughout the world so they might condense again. For the past five hundred years the humans lost the memories of anjels and demons because the isotopes were spread too thinly. In their lack of historical records they believed her to be an ancient.

          Almost two thousand years later, when they moved her from the crater to the mountains, she tried to initiate contact. Though her body remained immobile despite, to her fear, having been released into liquid mako, her mind retained a few of her former abilities. As such, after nearly fifteen years of trying, she was able to make contact with one, only one, of the newly arrived humans. She tried so hard to explain her concern, to explain the delicate equilibrium, but in the end it proved too much. The woman took her words at half value, her perception twisted and melded into something else, a path of thought which eroder her mind. If she had been able to, Jenova would have cried long tears for the planet, would have tried to converse with Gaia in an attempt to save it. But with only one point of contact through this insane human woman, it was not possible. Her very nature as a demon had doomed her to this hell, alive on a planet that would not live long. Not when she had no control of the transfer.

          When the woman finally snapped, stole from her lifeforce and implanted those small bits into the foetus inside her, Jenova could feel the isotopes draining away into her new descendant. She could feel his existence, feel Gaia's recognition and forceful bond as the native demon isotope was pulled from people all over the world to save this one pitiful life despite the fact that now those Earth isotopes were active the balance would be broken and the planet destroyed.

          Except it never was.

          Time passes, in what the humans called years, though it felt much longer to her. Three, perhaps four, and the planet remained. In thinking on the matter, she could only conclude that  _ he _ was here, that Mykahyl had arrived and unknowingly saved the planet. If she could have, she would have smiled at the bitterness she felt. Just like a demon, she caused problems without meaning to. Just like an anjel, he solved problems without knowing they existed. 

          It was the reason she loved him though, the reason she chased him all that time. Together, they were balanced. Anything she upset he could heal, could fix. The could exist peacefully together, he just never realised that. Or worse, simply refused to.

          Sighing, Sephiroth filed that all away on the timeline as the events preceding and surrounding his birth. It explained his destructiveness, his anger. They both understood why the Professor had never spoken of this to him. Without mother’s guidance he may have done irreparable damage. To those around him, to the people, to the planet. It was a lot of information to take in that he was  _ not _ in fact, really human. As Little Anjel had explained, he contained almost  _ all _ the demon mako of two planets, save for the amounts inside Angeal and Genesis. That thought lead to the next issue, the physical relations between the four of them. How mixed it all had become. It was all about the isotopes.

          Right now, the isotopes inside him were bonded together. Gaia bonded them when his biological mother forced the foreign ones into him to save him from automatic decay. Unnatural transfers of the large amount he’d been given could be deadly. As more of the demon isotope, which Hojo had named demonako, seeped out of his mother, through the planet, and into him, Gaia bonded those immediately with the excess of her own demonako inside him. She’d put it all there when she realised what was happening when he was born. So as far as Sephiroth himself went, he was stable. The only problem he had was a strong attraction to Little Anjel left over from mothers feelings for Mykahyl. The mako had somehow retained her obsession, and it recognised Mykahyl’s isotopes inside the blond. This led to Little Anjel’s current situation. He couldn’t bring himself to break the habit, so the blond had given permission for him to continue use of the title Little Anjel, much like he’d said it was okay to call Jenova  _ mother, _ since his birth mother was apparently not much of one.

          Little Anjel had Earth’s anjel isotopes, or anjemako as it’d been labeled, that were naturally born into him. Mykahyl had arrived and fallen in love with a human, and the blond was born of it. This meant that while Gaia recognised the addition of Mykahyl’s anjemako, the world was still balanced and the boy wouldn’t decay. As if in sheer coincidence however, Ayira Strife was the latest descendant of the Anjels. No one realised it in such a remote, already isolated town, so it wasn’t known. Even if the people of Nibelheim realised something was different about her, as the blond assured him they had, they’d have no idea what it was. So Little Anjel was in natural possession of Earth  _ and _ Gaian anjemako, complete opposite of Sephiroth himself. Except Gaia never forced the bond. Meaning whenever he was in close proximity to Sephiroth, the lingering obsession his isotopes had with Mykahyl’s tried to reach out and ‘resonate’ with Little Anjel’s. That caused Gaia to recognise the lack of bond and try to force bonding because the blond contained an isotope that wasn’t naturalised. Gaia had to make it part of her own equilibrium. If he got too close, the bonding started all at once which made the blond ill to the point it was potentially lethal. This, Sephiroth assumed, is what the Professor had warned him about, why he’d been told to stay away. Little Anjel had supposed that, if they had gradual contact, the bonding process would remain slow and not be as abrupt of a change. Where he got the information, the blond would only mutter about the planet and too many voices, but he  _ had  _ said that doing so would cause it’s own problems. Namely, Angeal and Genesis.

          Right now, Angeal and Genesis both had Earth demonako, unbonded. The closer they got to Little Anjel, the more they resonated with his unbonded Earth anjemako. The more they resonate, the stabler they become. If they go farther away, it’s similar to withdrawl. Except if it lasts too long they destabilise completely and begin to decay. If Little Anjel bonds entirely, he can only resonate with Sephiroth. Angeal and Genesis will begin to decay, Genesis far more rapidly since he spent so much time with the blond. The General felt slight jealousy at that thought but pushed it aside in favour of keeping focused. Little Anjel had suggested, hesitantly, that their Earth demonako might still be able to recognise his Earth anjemako within extremely close proximities, such as skin contact. However, if they are unbonded and he  _ is  _ bonded, it puts them in much the same situation as Little Anjel is  _ now.  _ Except they have no Gaia demonako to bond with. Either the planet would yank the native excess out of Sephiroth, or Hojo would have to do some tweaking in order to keep those two alive.

          Gently rubbing his forehead and basking in mother’s comforting presence, Sephiroth turned to look at the Little Anjel sleeping soundly on the couch.

          On top of everything, he’d thought at least _here_ , in his hidden little warehouse escape, they’de have as much time as needed to think about it all, but once again his judgement seemed to have failed him.  
          Little Anjel was sick, so badly sick, as a result of the forced bonding happening. He’d remained conscious yesterday but had continued vomiting periodically and losing colour in his pale but still warmly golden skin tone. Today had started no differently, but as the blond had been unable to eat anything, it’d since progressed from vomiting stomach acids and bile to throwing up blood and what was possibly the lining of his stomach. If he wasn’t vomiting he was sleeping. Little Anjel needed a doctor, yet therein lay his problem. He couldn’t call a doctor, they’d have no idea what was wrong. He needed a scientist, a very _specific_ scientist, but that man was the last person he felt like seeing right now, especially after what the blond had been able to tell him yesterday. Mother was, for once since meeting her in Nibelheim, silent, surely as lost as he was on what to do next.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **A/N:** Anything making sense guys? Gahh, brain hurts. Expect a more active chap tomorrow yo.


	42. It Takes Some Getting Used To

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **A/N:** POV’s a bit wacky this chap yo.
> 
>  **Disclaimer:** I own nothing but the plot, and my writing style.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **A/N:** Main plot event next chap.

Like any other call to all SOLDIER First phones in the past three days, the recorders in the Turk offices clicked on as the light for one of their lines clicked on. Truthfully their calls had  _ always _ been recorded but everyone chose to ignore that. The fact that it was an unknown number triggered a notification to the on-duty Turk however, who picked up a headset to listen. Whoever was calling, Gun  _ really _ hoped it was important because in the last three days Tseng had gone silent.  _ Completely _ silent, and it was scaring the fuck out of even the man’s own Turks. Rod had even started flinching when the Boss entered a room he was in.

Still, for an unknown number to be calling a SOLDIER First Class was highly unusual. High ranking SOLDIER PHS numbers were kept strictly on a need to know basis unless given out by the owner to avoid mishaps like the few times the fanclubs somehow got ahold of Sephiroth’s number. Meaning this was either someone calling the wrong number, someone Angeal Hewley didn’t make a contact in his phone for, or someone who already had the number memorised. To Gun’s slight surprise and utter delight, it was the latter. Three days after chicabo’s abduction, and the General’s voice came through, met by an equally surprised and concerned Angeal Hewley. Shooting a brief message out to Tseng, and one to Reno to track Hewley down, Gun simply listened as the pair of SOLDIERs argued.

**~~~~~~~~~~ A ~~~~~~~~~~**

Angeal had not, of course, been expecting Sephiroth to contact him. He’d been hopeful the man would reach out to either himself or Genesis, and seeing as Genesis was currently hiding in  _ Hojo’s labs  _ that didn’t seem like a risk Seph would take. So when the unknown number kept his PHS ringing, he’d already had a suspicion of who it was. What the General  _ wanted _ was another thing entirely, as he explained to Tseng after Reno showed up and dragged him into the Turk offices while he was still talking to Sephiroth.

As it turned out, the PHS was located in the outskirts of Midgar. The silver First was leaving it on and the call active intentionally so they could trace the location. He clearly wasn’t concerned with them and given the apparent teleportation skill he’d recently developed that wasn’t entirely surprising. 

“He wouldn’t answer any questions, just insisted I bring someone with me and show up on the outskirts of Midgar in a few hours,” he offered the Wutaian Turk sitting across from him. 

“This ‘someone’ being your former girlfriend, Lyra Grason? Any reason in particular?”

“Tseng, if you’ve brought her file up you’ll know she’s a nurse at the hospital here…”

“Meaning he needs medical help, but based on how he sounded, it’s not for him.” Tseng said, having listened to the entire recording as soon as they’d locked onto the location of the PHS. “We can assume Cloud is the issue here then, which explains the Professor’s ravings for the past few days. I will be accompanying you to the site, Angeal, we have to determine what’s going on and where Cloud is. If he brings him with we might be able to sedate the General but it’s-”

“Doubtful, what with the teleportation. He probably won’t risk bringing Cloud with him if he can get back him in a few short seconds,” he cut Tseng off. That was something they were going to have to find a way around, but not the main concern at the moment. 

“I think the best thing we can do is go along with what he wants, but perhaps convince him to bring me with you,” Tseng’s hand twitched. The Turk had become much more expressive after having Cloud around so much, Angeal had noted. Not enough for outsiders to recognise but he could tell the urge to rub at his forehead was barely being suppressed.

“I’d like more time to plan for this and prepare, but he certainly didn’t give us much time,” Tseng continued, pausing for another deep breath. “Reno is bringing Miss Grason in as we speak, we’ll only have time to brief her before heading out to be there in time. Despite the fact that I’d rather not assist with Sephiroth’s plans until we understand the extent of the situation, we have to get medical personel to Cloud as soon as possible. Hojo has not explained the extent of the issue but Cloud  _ has _ given all the Turks a basic understanding of a medical condition that Sephiroth aggravates simply by being in close proximity to him,” Tseng finished, stand and motioning for Angeal to follow. Within the hour they were on their way to the specified location, not bothering with surveillance devices that the General would easily notice and either destroy or leave behind. He’d sent Zack down to update Genesis, if the Pup could find him in Hojo’s little labyrinth. Yet another thing to deal with later. Ever since Cloud’s arrival from Nibelheim, it felt like the entirety of SHINRA had become even less sane that it had been.

**~~~~~~~~~~ G ~~~~~~~~~~**

Genesis, meanwhile, had been dealing with his own problems. Since Cloud’s disappearance, he spent the majority of his time in the labs. Rindan had been slowly, ever so slowly, imparting him with bits and pieces of knowledge surrounding the puzzle of Cloud and Sephiroth’s situation and in turn his own, which he hadn’t truly believed until the second today. He had known of course, from the instant he met the blond that first day, that something was very different about him and couldn’t deny the pull he felt telling him to stay near, to get closer if he could, but he’d thought it was simple attraction or adoration. Until Rindan’s instability began increasing, ramping up the longer Cloud was gone. And the man’s wide eyes upon noting the streak of pale grey hair on Genesis’ head, and urgent mutterings.

Hollander of course, had been requesting his presence as soon as he heard Genesis was in Hojo’s hands, however under Genesis’ requestion and Rindan’s demand President Shinra was hard pressed not to allow him to remain. In fact, he thought, it might be simpler to transfer his care and treatments to Rindan Hojo. As far as Genesis was concerned, if Cloud was confident in his godfather, the auburn had nothing to fear. Besides, if nothing else, they actually got along quite well laughing at Hollander’s expense.

**~~~~~~~~~~ T ~~~~~~~~~~**

When they arrived at the location Reno pinpointed, Tseng could see the PHS open and sitting in the dry dirt. The area was intensely quiet as he and Angeal had piled out of the vehicle, the latter offering a hand to help Miss Grason out. S quiet in fact, that he suspected Sephiroth had still been clearing monsters in the days after stealing Cloud from the middle of the SHINRA compound training grounds. The General however, was nowhere in sight as he cautiously moved forward the lift the PHS. Leaving it open and the call still active so the Turks on the other end could listen for any potential trouble or codewords Tseng might throw their way, he peered around the surrounding area. Still seeing no sign or trace of anyone else being present, he retraced his steps to Angeal’s side and turned back around just in time to see what could only be Sephiroth based on the security videos and Fair’s description of the events in Nibelheim.

**~~~~~~~~~~ S ~~~~~~~~~~**

In the now comforting sight of violet misty swirls, Sephiroth paused to let the entirety of his form materialise. He’d discovered with each teleportation that not everything arrived at quite the same time, and the longer he remained still the more time pieces had to drift into place. He’d really rather they not become permanent like the few spots still missing from his coat after returning from Nibelheim.

Today he had wasted time massacring the monster population out here in an attempt to give the blond space and time for the bonding process to slow some. He had intended to continue until Angeal arrived, but couldn’t resist checking in on Little Anjel and taking a moment to dispose of the trash bin full of vomit and blood. He’d managed to swiftly relocate the blond to the restroom so he could flush the bile and potential organ pieces down the toilet, but he couldn’t stay that close for long despite wanting to.

Opening his eyes at the short audible gasp behind him, he frowned at the sight that greeted him. As much as he’d mastered teleporting to specific  _ locations, _ he still hadn’t managed to discover the key to perfecting the orientation and growled lowly as he had to spin around to find what he was looking for. The sight that greeted him was both expected and unsurprising, seeing that Tseng had tagged along. Not that it mattered, he only needed the female. He held some small hope that she could assist Little Anjel despite not knowing the entirety of his situation, and was willing to fill in what he could. She was the only medical professional aside from  _ father _ that he knew personally, but if she was of no use he’d unfortunately require the Professor’s services.

Greeting Tseng with a short glare, and Angeal with a polite nod, he beckoned to the woman. She stood still, but having met him before he knew it wasn’t fear that held here there. Or at least, he thought not. He couldn’t recall doing anything to terrify her when she was dating Angeal. Shrugging after she failed to step forward, he took the initiative and stepped closer, ignoring the slight tensing of muscles from the other two. Mother was, for the most part, quiet save for the near purr she let out as he got closer to Angeal. His partial  _ brother _ , he was reminded, and rethought his earlier plan. It was, perhaps, possible that having Angeal in close proximity to Little Anjel would slow the bonding by allowing him to resonate with Mykahyl’s isotopes in the blond. It could potentially make things worse, but was worth a shot.

Disregarding Tseng for the moment, he reappeared between Angeal and the woman, swiftly placing a balm on each before once again the mists absorbed him, this time taking the others with him as he heard the Turk swearing in the farthest reaches of his hearing as the three of them disappeared.

**~~~~~~~~~~ A ~~~~~~~~~~**

For a brief moment, Angeal thought they could reason with him. It was a very short-lived thought however, upon seeing his eyes. Sephiroth’s eyes had still been their usual colour and intensity, but the pupils were so narrow… and the glassiness covering them, it just struck the wrong chord. He wasn’t  _ quite _ in his right mind, that much was evident in the seconds before the General moved. The next thing he knew was oblivian and for another short-lived moment, he was worried Sephiroth had completely lost his mind, that there was nothing left of his friend.

The startling jerk back into reality in an entirely different location however, dispelled the ridiculous thought. Even if he were currently somehow indisposed, Sephiroth wasn’t entirely insane. Now however, his thoughts were overtaken with the immediate need to lose his balance, crumple to the floor, and empty his stomach. Whatever that was, however it happened, it wasn’t natural and he did  _ not _ want to repeat it. He didn’t realise he’d said as much out loud until Lyra moaned in agreement and Sephiroth chuckled from behind him. They both stiffened, but his muscles quickly reminded him of the recent warping they’d undergone and went, for the most part, completely lax.

“Apologies, I’m aware it takes some getting used to,” Sephiroth’s voice sounded out, nearly echoing as he moved about and the sound of running water could be heard. Angeal chose not to move just yet, save from turning his head to watch as the silver General carefully held a cup to Lyra’s lips. While suspicious, she was aware the man needed her medical expertise and as such was unlikely to attempt drugging her, so she accepted, somehow managing to bring a hand up to grasp the glass with a soft hum of appreciation. Within a few moments the water had run again and there was a glass similarly held to his own lips, though not before he was gently shifted into a seated position on what he could now tell was a pristine kitchen floor.

As soon as the glass was firmly in his grasp, Sephiroth stepped back and was about to say something before cocking his head in a manner that very closely resembled a cat intently listening for something. It was a familiar motion, and were Angeal aware enough he might have tried the same to hear what it was that distracted the man, but before he could bother or ask what was wrong Sephiroth was filling another glass and heading down off in a direction behind Angeal. If he weren’t so disoriented, he might have turned his head to follow but instead he made to glance at Lyra. She was even worse of than he was, not having mako in her system, but Sephiroth had at least done her the courtesy of tucking a pillow under her head. She clearly wasn’t able to sit up just yet.

As soon as their eyes locked, she tried pitifully to smirk and offered, “This's exactly the kind of shit he pulls… you broke up with me to protect me from.”


	43. Chapter 43

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **A/N:** Feels like my writing has gone downhill so thanks to everyone still hangin' with me. 
> 
> **Disclaimer:** I own nothing but the plot, and my writing style.

        Cloud, much as he'd rather be asleep, was awake. He wasn't sure if he was actually hot, or just so so cold it felt that way, but it didn't seem to matter much. His body was quite literally at war with itself.

        Despite the present agony however, he was hearing voices. Sephiroth’s voice for the most part. The silver First had brought a glass of water to him when he'd returned, but only now could Cloud recognise that the man hadn't returned alone.  Now and then, someone would interrupt with a question or shocked comment. Soon enough the voices drew nearer to the bathroom, but despite his best efforts, Cloud drifted back to fitful sleep before the door had opened. Though quieter now than during his previous experience, Gaia's voice and those of the livestream found him once more.

        Having noted Cloud’s brief awareness the following morning, Sephiroth offered a hasty explanation of the situation to Angeal and the female before leading them towards the bathroom Cloud had been parked in. He'd hoped Little Anjel would remain stable enough to confirm the issues with the nurse, but no such luck. The woman however, seemed to already be aware of the severity of the situation. One look, and she began spouting off about _his godson,_ and _holy leviathan he’s been worried sick about you! And notably worried about what your mother will do to him if anything happens’_ . The only words sent his direction were “Get the Professor, this is beyond me,” before moving to adjust limbs to make Cloud more comfortable, all the while continuing to murmuring about Hojo introducing a photo to the whole of SHINRA’s medical staff. She even had the audacity to shoo the SOLDIER General away with the fingers of one hand, but knowing his presence was the largest factor of the blond's problem, he complied and pulled Angeal away with him. The raven First's presence did not seem to be improving the situation but it had been worth trying. He’d held some hope the resonance between the two states of isotopes would cause conflict and slow the bonding process but it seemed not.

        Grumbling for a bit, though it came at as more of a low growl, he ignored Angeal’s voiced concerns in favour of debating with mother on whether or not to bring his _father_ here. She still couldn't speak at this distance, but the nonchalant feeling meant she wouldn't mind. True that it was his biological mother, Lucrecia, that caused all of this, not his father. He still couldn't let his resentment at being lied to go, but he supposed for Little Anjel’s sake, he'd have to pardon the man. At least temporarily.

        With an audibly heavy sigh, he confirmed the decision, and disappeared once more.

        Angeal, for as intelligent as he usually thought himself, could only stare after the disappearing General. Hearing his longtime friend debate with himself, though he doubted the man realised he was speaking out loud, he'd tried several times to converse, all attempts at which were soundly ignored. Seph was definitely still in there, but it was like the entirety of his connection to external interactions was cut off. He couldn't recall if he'd already known that Hojo was the General's father, but the name of his biological mother was new. He'd have to look into her whenever he got back to the Tower.

        For now though, he cleared his mind and wondered what Tseng would do. What any Turk would do in this situation, really. Probably scour the area, look for a weapon. He didn't think he needed one, but it wouldn't hurt to look around and see if there was anything helpful. He didn't recognise the room, but it had Seph’s usual style of gray-scale decour. Here or there there'd be a dark red coffee mug or other small item, but not much else. Of the doors, several were complex electrical and biomechanic locks which he assumed lead either outdoors or to spaces Sephiroth never wanted seen by anyone else, private quarters. It was all well vented and lit, very clean and heavily organised. It was the kind of space he could easily see the silver First relaxing in, which was rare enough.

        By the time Sephiroth reappeared with the head of the Science Department, he’d wandered through every unlocked room and found nothing too unusual. No obvious weapons save for the knives in the kitchen.

**~~~~~~~~~~HOJO~~~~~~~~~~**

        When Hojo arrived, he managed to retain the lunch he’d just been eating despite the jarring effect teleportation seemed to have. He made a note to study the extent of that ability once this was over with. Within moments he was led to Clouds side. Sephiroth had for the moment, agreed to remain outside the building with Angeal, and Genesis who he’d retrieved as well after finding him in the lab sharing chow mein. Their presence would only aggravate Cloud's condition _and_ their own given that presently, his own son was the only one in stable condition. _Physically_ , he reminded himself. Mentally was a whole nother issue according to Cloud.

        In the meantime, Cloud was still transitioning at a rapid pace but he was conscious, evident by the incessant swearing. The lack of his usual creativity attested to a significant amount of pain, but that he was sitting up and not comatose seemed a good sign. The nurse, whose name he hadn't bothered with, had given him the briefest explanation of how she came to be here, and what Cloud had told her was going on with both himself and Sephiroth. He’d already sent her on her way out as the fewer people knowing about and dealing with this the less likely it was to get back to the President’s ears.

        So far, that situation amounted to Sephiroth being telepathically connected to Jenova’s preserved corpse who had explained her own more emotional view of the story, Cloud being kidnapped to fill in the blanks and scientific side of things, and while some of the blond’s curses were directed at Sephiroth the majority seemed to be toward Gaia and presumably the Cetran voices in the lifestream with whom Cloud was able to converse temporarily, the blond assured, something which would stop after the bonding process completed. The current mantra seemed to be a slew of repetitive _‘fuck off’_ s, and he could only be so glad his sister wasn’t hear to bear witness to this whole mess. In fact, as far as Hojo was concerned, if she never found out once this was over that would be even better.

        Now, an hour or so later he was in the presence of only his godson who eventually expended enough energy to warrant drifting off into light sleep, and a pair of Turks who were assisting in setting up the equipment Sephiroth so helpfully _retrieved_ from the labs. The teleportation truly was a remarkable ability, but when he’d had a moment to criticise the holes in the General’s iconic black jacket all he received in return was a frigid glare and a flicker of horror. Clearly there were repercussions to using such a skill.

        Regardless, they’d set most of the medical and monitoring devices up near the leather couch, seeing as it had the most space around it, and were just about to move Cloud from the bathroom. He could see on the security feeds his son had set up around the place that they didn’t have long before Sephiroth tried to gain entry once more as he paced along the exterior.

        “If you wouldn’t mind,” he gestured at Rude, then the doorway to the bedroom. The bald Turk complied and lifted Cloud, shifting him in his arms and began making his way towards the prepared space. He was glad to lose the insane persona around the Turks, this would have been much harder otherwise given how protective they are of their own. Of course now that Tseng was less wary of him he supposed it wouldn’t be an issue anymore.

        He dropped the thought almost instantly as Rude’s expression actually changed for once. Though the man’s eyes were still hidden behind the characteristic sunglasses, the eyebrows had risen much higher before warping in confusion.

        At such blatant emotive expressions for a Turk, Hojo tipped his head in curiosity. It didn’t take much prompting for a response, Rude jerking his head to indicate he ought to follow into the room. Once Cloud was set atop the bed in a seated position with whom he believed to be Legend supporting his upper body, Rude shifted around to look closely at Cloud’s back and press a hand here and there. Moving likewise, it was readily apparent what had caught the Turk’s attention.

        Beneath the skin, low near the shoulder blades but likely under a thin layer of muscle, were large growths of some kind that appeared to be protruding, pushing the rest of Cloud’s back musculature aside in order to make room.

        “...twitching,” Rude offered hesitantly, pulling the one hand he had on Cloud away, and true to his words, through the shirt one side appeared to be twitching, so minor it might be disputed as a minor muscle spasm.

        “Scissors, Turk, find-" Hojo cut himself off as Legend produced a pair from Gaia knows where, "Alright let’s get his shirt off, I’d like to take a closer look,” he turned to Rude, taking over support of Cloud’s upper body, “and someone ask Sephiroth to acquire a portable x-ray machine and ultrasound, I don’t know if that’s tissue or bone-” Hojo turned upon hearing a knock at the door. Feeds showed the three Firsts off a ways arguing with a rat tailed Reno while a certain Wutaian waited not so patiently at the door.

        “Suppose I’ll have to ask for more funding at the _next_ board meeting, seeing as we’ll all be missing this afternoon’s..” grumbled as Tseng was let in.

        “Agreed, though it’s unfortunate we can’t observe the President sweating at being alone with the less manageable executives. Now how is Cloud?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **A/N:** Kind of _bleh_ chap but still going. Sorry bout the long break all.


	44. For Only A Moment

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **A/N:** Short but active chapter. Happy Hallows yo.
> 
>  **Disclaimer:** I own nothing but the plot, my writing style, and occasional drawing.

        Irritated, frustrated, angered, incited, the swell of emotions felt particularly foreign to Sephiroth. Neither could he ignore the confusion and sense of provocation at being ousted from his place by little Anjels side, but logic suggested no reason for his presence to be necessary within Hojos current workspace. His presence was, in fact, a negative influence on the situation, which is why he found himself outside the warehouse door, pacing a length of approximately twenty meters back and forth to reduce some minor amount of the tension in both his mind and shoulders. His brothers-  _ commanders _ , on the other hand, seemed content to lean on a vehicle one of the other Turks had arrived in. Or at least Angeal did, as Genesis looked slightly ill. Sephiroth wasn't sure if the case was Little Anjels current predicament, or some physical issue at the moment.

        More than three hours had passed, and his father hadn't bothered to update them on the blond's condition. For his own sense of security, the external walls were all sound-buffered to prevent outside noises from bothering his SOLDIER hearing, yet now such lack of noise was a key part in why he felt so agitated. If he could just  _ hear _ Little Anjel’s breathing, he could settle down some, least enough to put the others at ease. 

        Another hour passed, during which Angeal called Zachary to them, and time had never felt as slow. It was with great eagerness he stepped toward the Turk that came out.

**~~~~~~~~~~CISSNEI~~~~~~~~~~**

        Despite the obvious concern the General was showing, bordering on possessiveness over Cloud, Cissnei felt no threat from the SOLDIER. She'd seen the minute amount of tension that  _ left _ his shoulders when coming through the door. Which made it all that much harder to follow orders and  _ not _ tell him anything of Cloud's condition. She was out here only to check on the General's  _ own _ condition and collect vitals for Hojo to review. As much as the scientist worried over Cloud, he hadn't forgotten his own son.

        And at least he wasn't talking to himself at the moment.

        “I apologise Sir, but I’m under orders not to disclose any information other than Cloud is alive. The Professor does however, need your own vitals to judge the state of the connecti-” Cissnei cut herself off as she looked closer. It wasn’t the light sheen of sweat on the three most powerful SOLDIERS that caught her attention, seeing as Angeal, Genesis, and Zack had all come closer in anticipation but something was… decidedly not right about the General’s appearance. It took her not a moment more to pin it down.

        “General Sephiroth, I need you to be still and look directly at me for a moment, try not to move your pupils,” she ordered pulling a penlight out. A brief glimpse of hesitance, of resistance flashed in his eyes but having learned to take orders without complaint for so long. And sure enough as she took a closer look, it was still apparent. While still responding to light stimuli, Sephiroth’s pupils had become rounder. Not completely round like normal, but slightly wider in the center and it wasn’t due to the lighting. Quickly lifting an arm for his pulse and a hand to his forehead for a temperature, she skirted around the other three who were just about to start questioning her and slipped back inside. In all the years she’d known him, Sephiroth’s pupils had never changed shape.  _ Size, _ yes, but not shape. She reported as much as soon as she reentered the space where half of SHINRA’s Turks were standing out of the way against the wall, and the Rindan Hojo bustled around, but her report was met with only slight glances as the x-rays were finally revealed. 

**~~~~~~~~~~HOJO~~~~~~~~~~**

        The hard growths on Cloud’s back had expanded, rapidly, to include much of his lower back., though the portions there were far thinner, less raised, than near the shoulder blades. And according to the x-rays, it  _ was _ , in fact, bone. A whole web of bone with loosely connected tissue. 

        He hadn’t foreseen this, never even in his dreams, or his  _ nightmares. _ Jenova had shown signs that additional appendages existed  _ at one time _ , but hers had been external, small leftover nubs after having decayed throughout the ages into miniscule leathery things. This,  _ this  _ was insane. His grandson had what appeared to be the full structure of  _ wings _ growing beneath his skin, wings that were as of yet still growing and causing such pain and discomfort. Perhaps it was a difference between Anjels and Demons, for Sephiroth not to be showing any such irregularities. Hesitantly, he approached the couch once more and felt around the area again. It made little sense for the wings to continue growth inside the body, in which case they would be erupting through the skin, and probably soon. 

        Though he despised the idea of harming his godson, part of the only family that ever accepted him without ulterior motive, he knew it would hurt worse if he didn’t do what he was about to. He only wished Cloud was conscious so he could tell him before he started.

        “Reno, find me a scalpel.” 

**~~~~~~~~~~X~~~~~~~~~~**

        All four figures outside the warehouse door, who had previously been discussion what Cissnei had noted, froze as a scream rang through the air. It didn’t… It didn’t sound fully  _ human _ , and it had come from inside. 

        “Seph, I thought you said it was SOLDIER sound-proofed-” Angeal turned to his friend. Or rather, where his friend had been not a moment before, because now all that remained visible was a small swirl of violet smoke. They were fast enough in breaking down the door to see the silver First throwing Hojo through a wall, before spinning and reaching for the blond. There were tangible  _ feelings _ in the air, the urge to protect, the desire to possess.

        Genesis and the rest of the room’s occupants had no way of reacting in time and could only watch in dismay, in fear, shock, or awe, as the hand of the General of Shinra’s SOLDIER army made contact with skin, and their vision went white.

        As the glowing shroud lifted from their vision, the only available focus were the massive, white-as-snow feathered wings stretched fully from Cloud Strife’s small back, remaining so stretched for only a moment before a sudden convulsion that sent everything falling, knocking over equipment and Turks in the process, blowing walls out to create enough space for movement, as in that same instant inconceivably tropical ocean blue eyes snapped open with a glow so luminous it bathed the room in pastel blue light. The only expression on Cloud’s lax face a slight downturn of the corners of his lips to one direction, those were were still standing unconditionally shifted their gaze to follow his, and to expand their state of shock saw only a pall of rich black feathers slowly begin to unfurl. While only on the right side, this wing was equally as stunning, and beautiful, for there, with one knee on the floor and an arm braced on the other, was Sephiroth holding a hand to his head. Though his eyes only glowed brighter than before, his pupils were blown wide and round while that hand staunched the heavy bleeding of a gash on his forehead. 

        In the next instant, as if on instinct when the two locked eyes, Cloud was gone out the side of the building and Sephiroth only a moment later after regaining some level of composure. It was clear to all they were beyond human interaction at this point, simply acting upon impulsion and reaction, and were it not for the pained grunt and strangled cry of Angeal and Genesis, all would have stood longer in disbelief and wonder.

        For Hojo however, with his training and medical background, those sounds reminded him his son and godson were not the only ones affected by this situation, so even in the daze and confusion left behind, he began to tend to Genesis first, who would almost certainly be hit harder and faster. And the Turks, trained to continue on and expect the unexpected in any condition, swept into action despite the turmoil and disorientation to help those blown back by the blast, with the exception of Tseng who swiftly stepped to Angeal’s side and helped lower him slowly to the floor. Only Zack remained still, astounded beyond understanding, until he turned to look over his own back and wonder.

**~~~~~~~~~~AERITH~~~~~~~~~~**

        Meanwhile under plate in a decrepit rundown church, a flower girl dropped to her knees and clutched her head. She felt the planet ripping through her head in screams and screeches of ‘ _ Anjel-pain-bonding, anjel-pain-pain, hurts-light-BALANCED,’  _  before the lifestream directs its focus elsewhere and Gaia supplants the voices in an attempt to soothe the damage, trying to comfort her, telling her it will be explained another day.

**~~~~~~~~~~NIBEL~~~~~~~~~~**

        And across the ocean in Nibelheim, where a blond woman washed dishes and an ex-Turk dried them and put them away, the woman hears a plate crash and shatter, turning to find not Vincent but  **Chaos** standing in his place instead. 

**** “Go,” she tells Gaia’s guardian,  though she does not know why or where, “You need to _ go, _ ” and he does, loudly muttering a twisted, cryptic message and collecting the wolf from in front of the fireplace. Because Chaos is being called, called urgently towards  _ Anjel-Pain-BALANCE. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **A/N:** Will be adding a few drawings here before posting in November


	45. Had surgery, now I'm back. ~R

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Due to a medical diagnosis in November I had surgery to fix my chest Dec. 18, which is why I hadn’t updated. Healing well.
> 
> EDIT: Sorry about the spelling when this chapter was first posted, I’ve tried to fix it but tell me if you see something I missed.

It took two days for Angeal to understand what was happening. For Genesis it took far less, as his condition was rapidly deteriorating. Without Cloud nearby, or Sephiroth to transfer mako isotopes from, his wing had sprouted before Hojo could even give him pain meds and help the thing come out. It shot out much like Sephiroth’s had only more tearing flesh, more screaming. Whereas the General’s was on his right, both his and Angeal’s were on their left. It was evident their isotope levels were not balanced however, as Genesis’ wing was perhaps two thirds the size of Sephiroth’s, and Angeal’s only one third. It was significantly smaller, but he supposed that together the three of them completed a whole pair of wings.

Still, Angeal hadn’t been exposed to Cloud as much, so the stoic raven haired man had more time, was degrading at a slower rate. Genesis could only envy him for that, but didn’t hold it against him. Feeling your mental capacities slowly slip away like water down a drain wasn’t a comforting thing though, especially when the only two things that could help him were currently flying haphazardly around the continent. News had begun pouring into SHINRA of their star general sporting a single, massive obsidian wing, evidently chasing after a much smaller figure with a full pair of ivory ones. There was much speculation on how the man could fly with only one wing, and even more so on who he was chasing. No camera could match the speeds those two were going at, and Sephiroth had only been recognised by the mass of silver floating behind him. Cloud, thankfully, wasn’t a public figure. Yet. Genesis had no doubt once this all settled- if this all settled, that Cloud would be a media highlight for weeks if not months. 

For now, only a few of the Turks had left the warehouse and were trying to vaguely explain the situation to the President and the other department directors. Tseng looked as though, if he received a single more summons to the man’s side, would instead put a bullet through the man’s head. Actually now would be a rather perfect time to dispose of- Genesis cut that thought off. Deal with politics later. There were bigger concerns. He could hear Hojo muttering chaotically in the background of the kitchen area in the building, and Angeal’s somewhat outraged voice.

According to the Professor, who explained what he could as soon as the other two had literally taken flight, about the isotopes and research gone into them. There wasn’t time for the full story, but they’d get that if he could stabilise everyone. For now, the importance lay in the distribution of positive and negative isotopes, from both Earth and Gaia. Cloud alone, since his birth, has contained all positive mako isotopes, but through natural processes his never bonded together. They coexisted peacefully until interacting with Sephiroth after being separated for some time. Sephiroth’s negative isotopes from both planets were entirely bonded, with some excess from Gaia left over. Angeal and Genesis had the matching excess from Earth split between them, with nothing to bond to. Somehow, some way, the lingering emotions from Earth’s demon want to connect to Cloud, want him to be in the same bonded state. This process, now completed, leaves Cloud and Sephiroth stable, physically at least, and himself and Angeal with nothing to resonate with. They either needed to be in such close proximity to the blond that their isotopes can recognise the ones from Earth in Cloud despite being bonded, or to have isotopes from Gaia transfer from Sephiroth into them to form balanced bonds. With no knowledge of how to retrieve either one of those options, the Professor was considering medical induced comas for the pair of them if this went on much longer. As it were, they didn’t have to wait much longer.

~~~~~~~~~~x~~~~~~~~~~

They had all but exhausted themselves in flight, dodging and weaving, ignoring the simple peons below. Neither completely human any longer, the excitement in the cities below them held no interest or amusement. It was pure instinct that kept them moving, one following the other, but adrenaline does not last forever, and eventually must run out. It was the only possible way for one to catch the other. The tackle was hard, ruthless even, and knocked all air out of the blond’s lungs. The silver haired menace also lost breath, but the overriding desire to hole on kept the smaller tightly within his grasp as they plummeted. The landing was not soft, making a small crater of its own with the speed and momentum they had carried, and after the dust settled they were there for many long heartbeats, simply encased in the presence of eachother. Whatever eventual struggles one put up, the taller of the two suffocated in his tightened grip, long arms wrapped around the tiny form he’d been so occupied with. Much like a dog that chases squirrels all its life however, now that his prey was caught, he had no knowledge of what to do with it other than keep it, so there they remained for a longer time.

~~~~~~~~~~x~~~~~~~~~~

When awareness began to once more creep into their senses, there seemed to be an unspoken mutual agreement to make no sudden moves, no rash gestures that might reignite overbearing instincts to flee or chase. With time, the encircling arms relaxed to a slightly less bone-crushing embrace, though not loose enough to allow significant movement from the small back pressed to the General’s chest. The voice in Sephiroth’s head had receded significantly, seemed content with the situation and posed no driving force or reasoning. His own thoughts could surface once more, and while he could not comprehend his own actions, they seemed utterly and completely thought out in his mind. The more prominent thoughts were of their surroundings, of remembering the people in cities below them, of camera flashes. He remembered the tackle and impact, and the dust. The crater they made, it would have been seen. People would be searching it, searching for him, for them, and he wasn’t sure if the blond beneath him was ready for the type of attention he’d faced all his life. He wanted… to keep the Little Anjel separate, to keep him isolated. To keep him safe. But safe implied trust and the people he trusted were not here, and their wings were still out. He could feel his own shifting as he began to sit up, pulling the younger up with him, where he could feel the softer, lighter pair pressed up against him. Their wings were not something to inspect, to study. They were private.

They needed to move, and so he set to his feet whilst holding the blond. Little Anjel, Cloud his mind supplied, was awake but dazed, only blearily staring at him as though waking from a long stretch of hibernation. No resistance present, but thoughts beginning to stir. Good. They would need to talk about this. At length. And alone, which, based on the sound of vehicles swiftly approaching their location, they wouldn’t be if they remained here. Tucking pearl-white wings tighter, closer to his chest, he lunged and sprung upwards and heading pragmatically towards higher ground. Towards somewhere familiar and easily defendable from human pursuit. If anyone heard the shattering glass, the angered yelling that followed, or the intensely macabre scream that resounded down the side of the Tower a few moments after their arrival, he did not care. Nor did he care to let go of the blond once full awareness truly seeped in behind those now smokey silver eyes. He wondered briefly if his own had changed, but securing the premises seemed of greater importance. After they spoke, after he decided what he wanted, he would check them both over to be sure no physical ailments persisted and to note any changes.

He did, however briefly, pause to admire how similar a shade they were to his lengthy hair and appreciate that Little Anjel matched him in some way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Fluid drains are out and I’m more mobile. Last chapter was kind of the peak-point in this story, sorry if that didn’t come across or if I wound up to it too much. The rest is what happens after but there’s quite a bit of plot left.


	46. Chapter 46 & an Important Author's Note

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **A/N:** I know this has become very long and has a lot of mistakes. Chapters have gotten shorter and updates less frequent. I’ve lost the motivation that I had **nearly two years ago** when I started this, and it’s reached the point this isn’t fun anymore. I know why most fics are shorter now. The plot has been all over the place, and the **last 5-8 chapters** are mostly aftermath.
> 
> For those of you who’ve been here from the start, **Random, Kitsy, Glor, Silver, Lunar** you know who you are. To you guys, I’m sorry how far it’s fallen from the original idea. **I promise to finish,** but it might be disappointing. I understand if you've lost interest, **it's been a blast to have you with me.**
> 
> Wrote some other stuff, on my profile if you haven’t seen it already.
> 
>  **Disclaimer:** I own nothing but the plot, my writing style, and the occasional drawing.

        In the penthouse of SHINRA Tower, two drastically different but simultaneously matching figures sat staring at each other, lost in their own realm. One had destroyed the stairs connecting to the top floor and cut the elevator wires to prevent interruptions. Anyone attempting to come up would require extensive gear, which would take time. Time they needed, because this had to be done. This was something they had to work out on their own. To discover the persisting effects on each other, their situation, their relationship. Neither were an individual anymore, two parts of a whole, almost complete together and unhinged on their own. 

        It was an overwhelming bond, a connection between the remnants of a forgotten world, a reunion of forcefully disconnected embodiments of an age old planets, foreign and native in combination. Feelings ran rampant through the pair as they stared, sprawled on the floor, notions of closeness they had never shared before, not even as children, this was something more, something  _ strong _ and it left them reeling.

        Shakily, they shifted closer, long arms wrapping once more around the petite figure, holding close and pressing together, the warmth of their bodies passing between. Feathered appendages encircled them, shielding from the outside world and after a time, one began to speak, slowly drawing the other forth from the recesses of his mind where the upheaval of his existence had sent his awareness. Soft murmurs echoed for a long time, hours passing until, belatedly, the anjel’s cognizance returned.

**~~~~~~~~~~oOo~~~~~~~~~**

        When the instincts finally faded, the disturbance passing, Cloud was rested tightly against Sephiroth. He could feel shifting inside as his body healed from the first impact so many hours ago, stitching itself back together in a way that shouldn’t be happening but was, because the mako inside of him, the isotope, was flowing through him, pooling into the damage and melting pain away. Leaning back, he took in the sight of Sephiroth, wing entrapping him as his own white feathers surrounded the General, sucking in a gasp.

        Slowly, ever so slowly, his hands slipped up to rest on the side of Sephiroth’s face, on smooth cheeks and sharp jaw, gaze riveted in astonishment at the view.

        “Seph…” he trailed off, hands sliding off to press anxiously against his own cheekbones, wondering. “What…” he let the questions hang in the air seeing the same emotions he felt expressed in the man’s eyes. The General nodded, and Cloud made to rise, pulling out of his grip. They stumbled to the bathroom, to a mirror, and studied themselves.

        Where once existed emerald globes with the light of mako behind them, only golden amber remained shimmering as if stuck by sunset. What once were tropical cerulean pools had been replaced by lustrous silver, sparkling like stars. Swaying, they leaned against each other in bewilderment, and then laughter began to bubble up from deep within, sounding louder with each moment and spreading contagiously to Sephiroth as they absorbed for the first time, how truly absurd the situation had become. They laughed, long and hard, as they found themselves once again. [DRAW]

**~~~~~~~~~~oOo~~~~~~~~~**

        The Turks had been monitoring video feeds and internet posts for days, tracking Cloud and Sephiroth’s flight across the planet, when the screaming started. All of them had seen the brief flash of a figure falling past the window. A large figure, in a red suit, with blond hair.

        Tseng briefed Rufus immediately on the situation with Cloud, the Firsts, Hojo, and now the late President Shinra’s  _ timely _ demise. Reno had gone to collect Hojo and the SOLDIERs from the labs, and Rude went up to observe the situation.

        By the time they determined the building wasn’t about to be destroyed, Rude and Legend had managed a makeshift platform and ladder to pry the the elevator doors open from, though it was agreed that only three people would go through. No telling what state the General and Cloud were in at this point. So as Hojo finally pulled himself through the doors, he nearly bumped into Angeal and Genesis, who hadn’t moved more than three feet forward. 

        Standing there against the Midgar skyline, in front of a shattered window, stood Sephiroth, black feathers curled inward from his right to block their view of the sleeping figure in his arms as pearlescent wings hung down over his left arm.

**~~~~~~~~~~oOo~~~~~~~~~**

        It took only a short time for Sephiroth to let Angeal and Genesis close. He was reluctant to let anyone near Cloud, but he was clearly back to his senses. The explanation of their condition seemed to match what Cloud had explained, after the laughter had faded. The relief was instantaneous, a visible weight off their shoulders as they sat next to him on the couch, Cloud still asleep after flying for days at a time on wings he’d never had before, the blond was understandably exhausted, even if Sephiroth showed no signs of tiring.

        Hojo set about slowly recording blood pressure, heart rate, and checking reflexes on the whole lot of them, explaining the full details of their situation to Angeal and Genesis as he went. 

        Officially, he couldn’t help them while they’re under Hollander’s jurisdiction, but Hollander wasn’t aware of the isotopes and the research was simply too dangerous to hand over. Angeal had, at first, found it all hard to believe, but eventually one of the Turks brought up the paper files up from the Professor’s basement labs, and at that point it wasn’t the questions he was struggling with but the answer.

        The scientist was in the middle of explaining that, while proximity to Cloud would stabilise them for now, he was still working on a method to permanently fix them. He stopped however, when Sephiroth abruptly dematerialised, reappearing with Cloud in the opposite corner of the room as chaos descended. Little did Angeal and Genesis know, it  _ was _ , in fact, literally  **_Chaos._ **

**~~~~~~~~~~oOo~~~~~~~~~**

        In a blur, two swords were drawn, an overly large Nibel Wolf was staring Angeal and Genesis down, and Chaos was pulling Cloud from Sephiroth’s arms without resistance. Were it not for the blond between them, things might have ended in bloodshed but as it were, he recognised the creature before him, purple skinned and red winged, it was still the man, the  _ creature _ from the coffin.

        He remained still as Chaos broke through the nearest wall and into a separate room, the wolf moving to guard the new entry. He knew, could  _ feel _ the vibrations as Chaos’ voice rumbled speaking to the sleeping Anjel, that he would be judged. That the planet was deciding through this course of events if he was a threat as his mother had been, recalculating the balance to account for recent events. He itched to be there, at his Anjel’s side, but with any move he made the wolf growled and he resolved, with every ounce of will, to resist the urge to teleport.

        Angeal and Genesis, he could see, had set their swords aside warily, already more haggard without Cloud at their side, but they too remained in place, focused on the enormous Nibel Wolf blocking their way and the mutated figure laying Cloud out on the bed in the next room.

        Hojo stepped forward then, shoulders un-hunched for the first time in years, and suddenly this was a man who knew the situation better than any excluding Cloud. He was loosening his ponytail as he walked, keeping his eyes lowered, and approaching the wolf despite the resounding snarls, taking to his knees in front of the beast, fingertips scratching, catching edges on his face, and suddenly half his face was being peeled off, revealing beneath it the face of his memories, nearly unchanged by the years past due to wutaian genetics. This was a man bowing his head to a Nibel Wolf as tall as he, letting it circle him, sniffing, and he looked up only to call to Chaos, who barely glanced at him before growling and ultimately the man was let through.

        Sephiroth could only watch, intrigued, restless, agitated, as his  _ father _ stepped to Chaos’ side, to his Anjel, and then he couldn’t hear the conversation, only feel the rumbling, because there was a barrier cast in the hole in the wall, surrounding the interior of that room.

        He could only watch as his Little Anjel breathed steadily laying near a WEAPON of the planet, with his father, unable to participate. Angeal was at his side now, pulling him, saying something, and he turned slowly to find the raven haired First with an arm wrapped around his torso, Genesis on the floor behind him.


	47. Scrappy Ever After - A Lazy Rushed Ending

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **A/N:** For the crazy rollercoaster this fic's been on, totally scrapped ending yeah. But rushed it and marking it complete 'cause otherwise I never will. Sorry!

**“He is bonded,”** the creature sharing Vincent’s body stated, turning to stare at Sephiroth. **“Equilibrium prevails.”**

“Almost, Chaos,” Hojo drew his attention, pointing at the pair half collapsed to the floor outside the barrier. Chaos nodded, turning back.

**“Unstable demonlings~”** came the gurgled response, and as much as Hojo could attest to their unstable state, he was aware of Cloud’s interaction with Genesis and knew that their loss would pain the blond greatly.

“Is it possible to save them?”

**“Gaia will not intervene.”**

“Cloud will want them at his side. Sephiroth has excess, safer to remove it from him lest it destabilise him somehow in-”

“ **Power, scale, delicate, incapable,”** Chaos grumbled, turning to stroke the human hand over Cloud’s spikes and grinning, or as close to it as possible with Vincent’s face, as the teen subconsciously pressed into it. Hojo considered his words for a time then, deciphering what it likely meant. He’d spoken with Chaos enough in the past, before returning to Midgar, to be able to understand a good portion of the WEAPON’s translations from the jumbled gurgle of voices in the stream.

It was possible, yes, but Gaia’s power was too broad, unrefined. Such a transfusion would be much too small scale for the  _ planet _ to focus energy on. 

“Science then? A transfusion… But how to isolate the excess… in genetic code… Yes, that should work. Will that be enough? It won’t interfere with Sephiroth’s stability?

**“Hold bonds. Short time. Mother Gaia is most pleased. Host, I fear, is not,”** were his parting words, before bones began to snap and the figure contorted in a small swirl of blood mist, and Hojo caught the slim, wingless figure of Vincent before he fell to the floor. 

The Turks beyond the barrier didn’t register, at first, when Tseng froze in shock. He was normally motionless but at this moment even his slow, even breaths had halted. It took less time, after that revelation, for the others to follow suit as they processed the scene further, because every Turk knew who that was. They hadn’t all recognised him at first, but as the eyes faded from molten gold to crimson, they knew. They knew the blur on the satellite feed that entered the Shinra tower was not a monster but a man, or perhaps both, because it was Valentine. Vincent Valentine, the legend alive.

The only notable sounds now were the sharp inhales as training kicked in and they found breath again, straining to hear beyond the barrier, and when that failed, straining to see and make use of lipreading skills to catch the last gasping words about  _ stupid beast, flying across the ocean,  _ and  _ carrying a 400 pound wolf for fuck’s sake. _

Reno couldn’t hide the dismayed squeak he let out at the implications, watching in awe as Hojo laid the man with barely the energy to speak next to Cloud and combed a hand through raven strands.

_ No, that isn’t possible, he was listed as- Valentine!  _ Tseng surged forward towards the barrier. Nykulos, recognising his scent from his arrival in Nibelheim, rose up to physically herd him to the doorway, whining at the other occupants, and sure enough, the barrier flickers enough to allow him passage through, the wolf nosing him in and following behind to snuggle at the foot of the bed and sniff at Cloud’s inert form.

**~~~~~~~~~~oOo~~~~~~~~~**

It takes three weeks for everything to settle down, three weeks of fighting the nosy department heads and keeping Rufus out of harm's way while stifling the media attention the broken windows at the top of the tower were drawing, by which point everyone has noticed Sephiroth’s molten gold eyes in place of emerald green, but Cloud has yet to open his in the presence of most of them.

He had since moved back to Tseng’s apartment with Vincent and Nykulos, remaining isolated until they managed to get his new abilities under control. With the suddenly active status of his isotopes, Cloud was experiencing issues adjusting to everything. Sight, sound, the sensitivity in his skin, the way things that shouldn’t be breaking seemed to bend or snap with the lightest pressure. Chaos, who makes the occasional appearance, finds it hilarious when he breaks the toilet when trying to flush, which startles him and has his wings ripping out once more.

Yet another change to adapt to. Wings longer than he is tall that appear and disappear with magic, into an unknown reserve rather than evident beneath his skin as they had first formed. The wings, only known to the Turks, Hojo, and a few select SOLDIER, were spoken of only in hushed whispers for the most part, save the occasional day Genesis is well enough to leave the labs and visit, often offering to run through them and remove any loose feathers despite the notable lack of them.

And when Hojo finds a solution, a way to isolate the excess Gaian Demonako inside of Sephiroth to split between the afflicted Firsts, those visits become more frequent and include Angeal as well. Hollander is dismissed and subsequently silenced by the Turks. Sephiroth, for a time, kept his distance as agreed to allow his… emotional connection to Cloud to fade slightly, though possessive tendencies and jealousy never seem to fade when anyone other than the three Firsts near him. Even Zack, over enthusiastic about the changes in both the General and Cloud, has learnt to keep his distance when Sephiroth is in the room. And if Genesis begins to show similar signs of possessive behaviour towards the blond, no one bothers to mention it. The four of them in particular see no reason to deny the instinctual draw, to become closer to one another as their impulses push, but they are stable.

**~~~~~~~~~~oOo~~~~~~~~~**

When Cloud finally emerges, and thus the General and Commanders return to the media spotlight with a petite blond at their side, the public relations department does their best to issue a controlled release, stating an unexpected advancement has resulted in new abilities for the Trinity and an additional subject.

To explain the sudden jump of Cloud’s abilities, having been listed as a cadet only recently, Lazard and Sephiroth discuss and divulge the construction of a Zero Class for SOLDIERs, only to include Sephiroth, Genesis, Angeal, and Cloud, and never to have more members because meddling with the isotope balance is not something Hojo is willing to discuss. He’d done enough damage to the equilibrium for this lifetime. The public only knows they cannot be replicated though, so the isotopes are brushed under the rug.

A follow up press release reveals a photoshoot of their wings, sending ripples through the scientific communities and general populace across the world. Nibelheim, upon discovering the news of the Strife boy’s rise to rank, becomes a simpering mess at his mother’s beck and call, though she refuses to make use of the newfound status. As far as the northern town was concerned, white wings made her son was an avatar of the old gods, and the additional flurry of increasing fandom when Sephiroth and Cloud are seen teaching the Commanders how to fly does nothing to dissuade the idea.

In order to get everything sorted out, Rufus approaches lazard with the offer to split their father’s shares of the company and make him the Vice President, or perhaps co-president now that the old man was out of the picture, and as a means of tie-breaking when they disagree they appoint Cloud as the Lead Advisor as he retained ties to his family within the Turks while becoming Zero Class. To reinforce this, and the new coordination between SOLDIER and Turks, they create an additional branch labeled SOLDIER Turks, who work closely in tandem with both departments and function effectively as both when required, as a single individual within each class.

Zack, being the only remaining First Class, submits Kunsel for review, who is appointed to SOLDIER Turk First Class where Cloud holds the position in Zero Class.

And if a certain hacker so happens to commission more motorcycles from a dedicated fan, and Turks and SOLDIERs alike are being called traffic menaces for speeding along lines and weaving through cars at breakneck speeds on bikes heavier than elephants and a six food Nibel Wolf running happily beside them, no one bats an eye anymore.


End file.
